UCFB students Amy O’Connor and Filippo Guerrini gain unique work experience at St. George’s Park, as Team Liaison Officers during UEFA Men’s U16 Development Tournament.
Third year Football & Marketing student at UCFB Burnley, Amy O’Connor seized the opportunity when successfully selected to fulfil the role of Player & Team Liaison Officer for Team Norway. Her everyday responsibilities included welcoming the team to St. George’s Park, prepping schedules, preparing for a packed pre-match schedule, organising a team outing to Derby and generally attending to all of the team’s daily needs during their time in the tournament.
Reflecting on her experience, Amy commented:
“Player & Team Liaison Officer is a role I have a keen interest in pursuing on completion of my final year at UCFB, so to have the chance to gain experience within The FA was the perfect fit. This opportunity opened my eyes to the reality of the role and as with most jobs in football, no two days were the same. I would like to thank UCFB for promoting and offering this wonderful opportunity, all the staff at St. George’s Park for welcoming me into their surroundings, and finally to Team Norge for making the experience a memorable one.”
Second year Sports Business & Sports Law student at UCFB Wembley, Filippo Guerrini also worked as a Player & Team Liaison Officer, taking care of Team Italy during the tournament.
His task was to run all of the day to day activities of Team Italy. By keeping a direct line between the Italian manager, The FA director and the UEFA manager, Filippo was able to solve any problems as quickly as possible.
Providing some behind the scenes insight into UEFA Men’s U16 Development Tournament, Filippo said:
“I consider the whole experience a once in a lifetime opportunity and I truly recommend that anyone interested in sport should volunteer in these events. I believe that it is a crucial step for people who want to work in the sport industry. I also would like to thank Chris Favley for teaching me how to be an efficient, active and confident Team Liaison Officer and for giving me the freedom to deal with and resolve all issues. This aspect played a key role in improving my knowledge and I started to think outside the box to get excellent results in a very short time. I will definitely benefit from this week in my future work placements.
I would like to thank UCFB, The FA, Club England and all the staff of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio for this amazing placement opportunity.”
When coupled with their unique degrees, these unique placement experiences will enable Amy and Filippo to build upon their CVs in order to place themselves in the best possible positions to lead successful careers within the sports industry.
