UCFB student travels to USA for work experience with New York baseball team

A UCFB student has been looking back on his summertime work experience at a Minor League Baseball side.

William Harbottle, who studies BA (Hons) Football Business at UCFB, spent some time before starting his Third Year at UCFB with American baseball team Rochester Red Wings.

After previously working in a similar role at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, William leapt at the opportunity to travel to New York state and spend a week with the Red Wings.

William said: “Once again, it was an incredibly valuable experience to spend a week in the US with a Minor League Baseball team. It was a hugely rewarding opportunity, packed full of insight, smiles, and general enjoyment all round.

“Rochester is surprisingly easy to access from the UK – for me, it was a straightforward and short connecting flight via Boston (though JFK, Philadelphia, and Chicago also seem to be popular routes).

“The week with the team involved a lot of shadowing the media department – including commentary, match reporting, and content creation – as well as some involvement in operations. I’ve always felt that these placements are not only great for the CV, but more importantly, they offer real insight into what the sports job market looks like beyond our borders and outside the world of football.

“I was fascinated by the slightly different dynamic between Rochester and Jacksonville. Rochester seemed to have more of a focus on media and content creation, whereas Jacksonville placed greater emphasis on operations and in-game activities during commercial breaks.

“I think these weeks are less about traditional work experience and more about discovering whether working in other sports – or even in other countries – is the right fit. That’s certainly something I’ve realised, and I’d love to be regularly travelling to and from the States for work one day.

“As for feedback on Matt – similar to what I said about Scott in Jacksonville – I’ve nothing but positives to share. The week was incredibly insightful, and everyone was welcoming and friendly. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity.”

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