One UCFB graduate is making waves in the finance and football industries on the other side of the world after landing two great opportunities.
Jacob Weaver, a recent BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance alumnus, returned home to New Zealand upon graduating to take up a position with the financial advisory services team at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
But it’s not just at PwC where Jacob has put the skills he learnt at UCFB to good use. Utilising the knowledge he gained from the likes of the ProZone and WyScout programmes during UCFB’s Complementary Curriculum, Jacob has also landed a role as Video and Opposition Analyst for New Zealand Premiership side Waitakere United.
In 2015 Jacob completed a three-month internship with PwC before securing a graduate offer with the firm – he graduated from UCFB with a superb first class honours in 2016. Jacob’s current position involves helping clients with a range of business advisory, property management and annual compliance projects. Jacob is also working towards his professional accounting qualifications with the Australian CPA programme.
Back in the UK during his time at UCFB, Jacob undertook a number of industry placements, including spending time with Jonathan Gould, Head Goalkeeping Coach at Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, on a number of scouting and player identification projects for the club. His work there, supplemented with volunteer experience at The National League and The Football Association, helped Jacob bolster his CV and secure the role at Waitakere. The role involves assisting Head Coach Chris Milicich with opposition and video analysis using the InStat analysis platform. During his time at Waitakere, Jacob plans to enhance his coaching experience and work towards his UEFA Pro Licence.
Now with two great positions and well on the way to making a name for himself in the football industry, Jacob has this advice for UCFB students: “Make sure that you utilise UCFB’s vast network of contacts inside and outside of the industry, and particularly seek out work placement opportunities with football clubs at all levels of the professional game.
“This experience will be pivotal in securing full time graduate work. Also participate and contribute in all internal based complementary courses, as this will further boost your CV and employability. Most importantly enjoy the experience, meet new people and engrain yourself in the culture of UCFB, particularly as those people in your classroom could be your future work colleagues.”
