Innovative sports videos and an all-female football league for youngsters were the big winners to secure funding in the 2021 virtual edition of the UCFB Sports Entrepreneur Award.

Groups of students from both UCFB Wembley and UCFB Etihad Campus presented their ideas over two days to members of the UCFB board in the hope of winning up to £5,000 funding to invest in their business.

Following several compelling pitches, Vincent Ray, a MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing student, won the UCFB Etihad Campus prize with his proposal to create a video package of memorable moments for sports players across all levels of ability in his Sports Player Edits business plan.

After being announced as the competition’s winner, Vincent said: “I am absolutely speechless. This would never have been possible without all the help UCFB has given me over the last four years. My lecturers and the Employability & Enrichment team, in particular, have helped me throughout my time at UCFB in securing placements, helping with my CV, LinkedIn and overall, with my personal journey.”

He added: “This is a really exciting journey with Soccer Player Edits.”

 

Maria Hasler, also a MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing student, won this year’s UCFB Wembley prize with her inspiring project aimed at encouraging young girls to maintain participation in sport, through the Girls Super League London, set up last year.

The competition is led by UCFB chairman Brendan Flood and provides students with an unprecedented opportunity to pitch their sports business ideas to a senior UCFB panel then field any questions they might have. This year’s panel included Brendan, Jane Abbey, Lee Preston and Chris Falvey.

As well as winning funding for their products, the budding entrepreneurs will also receive guidance from the panel over the next year to help with their product development.

Commenting on the success of students, Brendan said: “We encourage entrepreneurship as part of the student journey at UCFB and GIS, and I was delighted to see that entrepreneurial spirit in all of the pitches. Congratulations to all of the project and award winners this year. There were many strong competitors as ever, with some incredibly well thought through ideas and business proposals. While it was difficult to choose the winners out of such a strong field at both campuses, Maria and Vincent had incredibly detailed propositions with a clear outline of what they want to achieve.”

 He added: “The high standards amongst our students were proven once more by the additional investment provided to the runners-up in the competition. I’m very much looking forward to working with this year’s winners to develop their ideas further and help them pursue their careers in the sports industry.”

 

Full list of winners

UCFB Etihad Campus

Winner:

Vincent Ray, MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing

Company name: Soccer Player Edits

Soccer Player Edits offers editing services to sports players, creating highlight reels of their most memorable and successful moments. Clients can either keep this for themselves in the ‘PROM edit’ or can send to clubs and agents in search of a professional contract as part of the ‘PRO’ edit.

 

Runners-up:

Harry Clayton, BA (Hons) Football Business & Media

Company name: MCRFPL

MCRFPL aims to bring together the Fantasy Premier League community, which consists of over eight million people, to one platform. It offers players around the world the chance to meet virtually and compete against each other in the game.

Jess Bent, BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports Law

Company name: Unlock Your Accomplishments

Unlock Your Accomplishments will provide two key services, motivational speaking and podcasts. Jess, its founder, wants to use these platforms to inspire and motivate anyone interested in pursuing a career in sport, as well as shining a light on the often overlooked topic of mental health in football.

 

Adam Brooks, BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance

Company name: ACB Talent Management

ACB offer professional football players a representation service throughout their career, which includes financial education and stress and anxiety management. The management company aims to improve the mental health of footballers and provide stability and support when players are in-between clubs or retiring from the professional game.

 

John Meenan, BA (Hons) Multimedia Sports Journalism

Company name: The European Show

John currently runs a podcast entitled The European Show and wants to use this opportunity to extend the brand onto YouTube. The aim is to create documentaries based on the unique rivalries in derby football matches, providing exclusive interviews from players and behind the scenes footages.

 

Luke Parkinson, BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance

Company name: Eco+ UK

Eco+ UK aims to combat the pollution of our oceans by providing ‘the last straw’, a reusable, stainless steel drinking straw matched to a football club’s colour for restaurants and pubs in relevant locations.

 UCFB Wembley

Winner:

Maria Hasler, MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing

Company name: Girls Super League London (GSL)

The Girls Super League London was designed to help engagement rates of women in sport. It provides a unique opportunity for girls aged 7-15 to compete in an inclusive and competitive environment, combatting problems of pitch availability and refereeing standards for young girls interested in football.

Runners-up:

Cameron Dabbs, BA (Hons) Stadium & Events Management

Company name: My Club Developer

My Club Developer is a new project management organisation which focuses on improving the financial sustainability of grassroots sport. By providing financial aid for these organisations, the company aims to help grow sport at a grassroots level, particularly given the financial difficulty faced by many clubs due to COVID-19.

 

Harry Forbes, Elena La Ficara, Aamina Saleh, BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports Law; Faraz Alemar, BA (Hons) International Football Business

Company name: Online Football Window Database (OFWD)

The OFWD service seeks to provide important networking links between professional football and aspiring young players. By setting up a database which allows youth players to create a profile and promote themselves online, academies, scouts and agents will have easy access to a pool of potential players.

 

Zanir Munir, MSc Football Business

Company name: V-Phys

V-Phys is an app designed to improve communications between professional players and staff working within the same football club. It aims to provide greater clarity, for both the player themselves and those behind the scenes, of the levels of fitness of each footballer and what can be done to improve this by working collaboratively.

 

Lewis Bush, BA (Hons) Football Coaching & Management

Company name: Spotlight Coaching & Analysis

Sporting Coaching & Analysis was founded in August 2020 with the exclusive goal of developing individual footballers in order to help them maximise their full potential. Having already worked with professional player Jack Stacey, the organisation aims to work closely and intensely with elite players to improve performance.

 

Iva Ivanova, BA (Hons) International Football Business

Company name: Project Football

Project Football aims to improve international football relations between Bulgaria and other European countries, providing unprecedented levels of detail for young footballers about their career opportunities abroad. It also seeks to inform Bulgarian players about the possibilities of education in sport in the UK.

 

Angely Castro, BA (Hons) Multimedia Sports Journalism

Company name: DeporMedia

DeporMedia was set-up to create a space for BAME individuals to succeed in the sports industry, which is distinctly lacking in diversity. Their main priority is to provide expert advice to young BAME students and help build their portfolio.

 

Billie Halladay & Molly Kingston, BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing

Company name: Ballers Only

Ballers Only aims to create a football-based YouTube Channel designed specifically for female fans. By engaging girls aged 12-21 through social media channels, the organisation will help generate awareness for the women’s game in a fun, light-hearted manner.