Luton Town’s rise over the last decade is well documented. After dropping into the National League in 2010 for the first time in their history, the club have since made their way back to the Championship and currently find themselves comfortably in mid-table. One person at the club who is now documenting their comeback is BA (Hons) Football Business & Media student Declan O’Reilly, who recently secured a work placement at the club as a videographer.
Here, Declan tells us about the role and his time at UCFB so far…
How did the opportunity to work in the media team at Luton Town come about?
I found the opportunity via UCFB's Employability & Enrichment team and was instantly interested in the role and the chance to work in the Championship as an undergraduate. I was lucky enough to already have the phone number of the Luton Town press officer from previous work, so it was easy enough to message him about what the role would entail. After sending in my CV to the club, mine stood out and I was able to secure the role.
What do you hope to bring to the role from what you’ve learnt at UCFB so far?
I would like to bring my videography techniques and the video editing skills that I have learnt at UCFB into the role. All the fundamentals of filming and editing were outlined in the second year of my Football Business & Media course, so I’m able to identify and enhance the digital content on Luton Town’s YouTube channel and social media channels. I will also add to the social media content at the club with the social media basics I have learnt in the first year, as well as PR skills, and continue to learn in the final year of the course.
Similarly, what do you hope to achieve and learn further while working for the club?
I want to continue to practice my craft and get better at every opportunity. I am always looking to learn something new with content creation and social media, as well as defining other areas of media such as press statements and interviews.
What other work experience opportunities have you completed or taken part in while at UCFB?
I was the press and media officer at National League side Wealdstone FC from first year up to October 2020. I was told about this role by another UCFB student and through UCFB’s partnership with the National League, I was able to get into the club.
How important have you found them for your development?
I largely worked individually on the media side while collaborating with other staff, the board, the players and the management team at the club. It was a great start for me in my career and I was fortunate to be given such an important role so early on, but I was trusted and put everything into the role for two years. It was an important development for me because I was able to learn and find my own way without too many restrictions – the club in return were provided with a professional online look. I have definitely developed and come a long way in just two years when I look back at my early work for the club!
How has your time been at UCFB so far?
My time at UCFB has been better than I could have imagined. I have made some great friends that I am grateful for and the lecturers have been brilliant. COVID-19 has obviously caused its problems, but I have been able to learn, make friends, gain experience in the industry and even travelled to Australia because of UCFB!
What advice can you pass on to any potential students looking at coming to UCFB to study on the media pathway?
The best advice I can give to a student is to search and ask for experience and get your name out there as soon as you can. The National League was where I circuited and the relationships you can make, like mine with the press officer at Luton Town, can be gold dust in the future. If you are given an opportunity make sure to put your all into it and fully commit, showcase what you can do, always look to learn, improve your work and begin getting busy juggling UCFB work and work experience.
