UCFB Wembley student Seweryn Gorski was given the unrivalled opportunity to play his part in the success of Poland reaching the quarter-finals of this summer’s European Championships in France.
Seweryn, who’s about to start the second year of his BA (Hons) International Football Business degree, landed a role with the Polish FA working in the media centre at the team’s base in La Baule, on the west coast of France near Nantes.
A Polish national himself, Seweryn gained a first-hand look at how a country prepares for a major football tournament. Poland reached the quarter-final stage where they were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Portugal, their best ever performance at a European Championships.
Looking for work to keep him busy during the summer, Seweryn found the role advertised on Twitter. He was one of only seven successful applications from a field of 100 following a successful interview with a Polish FA press officer.
During his one-month role in France, he worked six hours per day in roles which included the distribution of media accreditation, handling press conferences to conduct player and coach interviews and coordinating the team training sessions for the media.
Seweryn obviously made an impression on Polish FA officials too – he’s been invited back to work another placement, this time in the marketing department.
He said: “I’ve never worked on such a big event like the European Championships, and for me it was an unforgettable experience. I have gained an enormous amount of experience on how the Polish FA and media operate on a big stage and I am really glad that I could see it from the inside. I’ve met and spoken to people from different departments who shared with me their experiences and given me good advice for my career going forward.”
