A UCFB graduate has taken his next steps into the sports industry, after taking on a new role, working as part of a collaboration alongside the UEFA Champions League.

Max Fleet, a BA (Hons) Football Business and Finance graduate, is now an account executive at Octagon, working on the Mastercard account for their partnership with the elite European tournament.

He said about his new role: “My team and I work closely with global markets to ensure that Mastercard are able to effectively take advantage of all opportunities within the partnership.

“This role will also see me travel to Istanbul in June for the UEFA Champions League Final, which is such an incredible benefit for anyone working in the sports industry - especially still during a period of probation!”

During his time at UCFB, Max undertook several placements, including working at Euro 2020, NFL London games and local non-league football clubs.

He also got a placement in the commercial department at Woking FC, where he was invited to join full-time after he graduated.

Max also represented UCFB and GIS as a global ambassador for the 2022 Atlanta Global Sports Summit, and won the Football Business and Finance Programme Award for 2022.

Looking back on his studies, he said: “I learnt so many relevant teachings from my degree for my new role.

“The placement at Woking allowed me to gain professional experience across a range of different operations, including commercial sales, ticketing, account management, administration and many others.

“It was a key combination between my studies and experience that has led to me being where I am now, without either of which I would be severely hindered.”

He finished: “My advice to young students seeking a career in the sports industry would be to throw yourself into as many opportunities as possible, even if at first it doesn’t seem as though it’s the right role for you or you can’t see yourself doing it in the long run.

“It was often within these types of roles where I learnt the most about something unique, developed new skills or made connections with people that have now gone on to be great friends of mine.

“By widening my learning, it has given me a greater understanding of the exact role that I want to work on and means I can focus all of my energy into something I’m so extremely passionate about.”

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