Thanks to our extensive network and growing partnerships across the English football pyramid, UCFB-GIS are proud to announce that we have alumni working at 68 of the 92 football league clubs in the country.
From Global Marketing Manager at Chelsea FC to Head of Performance Analysis at Bolton Wanderers, our graduates have secured a range of hugely competitive and desirable roles in this multi-faceted, multi-billion pound industry.
More specifically, there are currently UCFB-GIS graduates at 19 out of the 20 Premier League clubs, as the top flight in particular has attracted fresh faces, several of whom worked at football clubs during their degrees and secured full-time roles upon graduating.
Jacob Harrison, for example, began working as a Hospitality Executive at Turf Moor while studying at UCFB Burnley. He gained a permanent contract after completing his BA (Hons) Football Business & Media degree, before moving onto Premier League Champions Manchester City, where he now works as Business Development Manager.
Commenting on his current role, Jacob said: “I’m fortunate that the last few seasons have been some of the most successful any club could hope for. Going to City was a no-brainer, I knew the Head of Sales – it was just a question of waiting for the right opening in his team. Essentially, my role is to generate revenue through the sale of matchday hospitality packages, VIP experiences and a few other commercial bits and pieces.”
With alumni also working at 14 of the 24 Championship clubs, 18 of the 24 League One teams and 17 of the 24 League Two, our hard-working graduates span the football pyramid and beyond, carving a name for themselves in the internationally renowned EFL.
Another individual working in a different sector of a different league is Chris Hough, Head of Academy Analysis at Accrington Stanley. After completing both his BA (Hons) Sports Business & Coaching degree and MSc Football Coaching & Analysis at UCFB-GIS, gaining experience at the likes of Burnley FC and Macclesfield Town, he secured the role at the League One club.
Sharing how he got there, Chris said: “From the start I tried to go the extra mile and be proactive and open-minded in terms of opportunities, and throughout my time at UCFB I took part in a lot of extracurricular activities. The main thing is that it will be a small group when people come in to do guest talks and sessions – that was the best part of it for me and how I got the job at Accrington.”
There may be an astonishing number of graduates working across the English football league but this isn’t the only field in sports where UCFB-GIS graduates thrive. 90% of our alumni are in full-time employment six months after graduating, and two thirds of these work in the football and sports industry, ranging from Formula One to Basketball and beyond.
