UCFB student Amy O’Connor impressed so much in her work placement as Team Liaison Officer during a UEFA tournament at The FA’s St. George’s Park in April, she was invited back by the football body to take up the same role at a recent UEFA Women’s U16 Development Tournament.
Reflecting on her experience, Amy, a third year BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing student at UCFB Burnley, said:
“During my first experience as a Team Liaison Officer with The FA I met Stuart Brown, England Teams Operations Coordinator, who mentioned he was organising the UEFA Women’s U16 Development Tournament at Loughborough. He contacted me a few weeks later and asked if I was available and interested in being part of the upcoming tournament he was organising.
“Despite being in the build up to the deadline for my dissertation hand in, it was another unmissable opportunity and I was keen to be involved in another UEFA tournament, this time working with the Danish U16 Women’s team.”
At the U16 tournament Amy drew on the experience she gained from her first work placement as Team Liaison Officer and was aware the best way she could prepare for the role was to be organised and be prepared, which is just as well. Amy added:
“I believe this served me well as the unexpected came, this time in the form of a couple of trips to hospital with injured players. I had to answer any questions and concerns the staff and players had regarding what was going on and try to communicate what was required despite any language barriers.”
Working with a different international team gave Amy the chance to experience new challenges and develop personal skills including communication and confidence. She commented:
“It was essential that I communicated clearly between tournament staff and the Danish team representatives to ensure everything followed a set schedule. This resulted in all elements of the tournament surrounding the team running as smoothly as they possibly could have.
UCFB student Amy O’Connor with the Danish FA team members of staff
“I would like to thank Stuart Brown at The FA for presenting me with this second opportunity and for having the belief and confidence in my ability to step into the role again. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of such a successful tournament. Thank you also to the Danish FA for welcoming me into your team and allowing me to be part of your success, I had a thoroughly enjoyable week!”
