Where Are They Now: Mohammed Patel – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at Preston North End

A UCFB alumnus has been talking to us about how the work he is doing at Preston North End is connecting the club to the local community.

Lifelong North End fan Mohammed Patel, who graduated from UCFB Manchester with a degree in BA (Hons) Football Business and Marketing, works as the club’s equality, diversity and inclusion coordinator.

“We’re all under one badge, we’re all in the same city and the same football club, and we want to maximise the impact that we have,” Mohammed said.

Working with staff who deliver within schools, wellbeing teams and many other departments across the club, Mohammed does “everything possible to reflect the city’s demographic.”

The local community around Deepdale Stadium is 60 per cent a Muslim community, but as Mohammed said, “We weren’t even getting ten kids from the Muslim community involved.”

When asked about the positive impact his passion for EDI has on the Preston community, he said: “Being from Preston, I have always seen a big gap in the market for the football club.

“I was saying to the club that there were barriers in place, but there’s definitely ways we can break down these barriers. I said it’s a massive area of work which we could really progress in.

“A couple of days later, I got a phone call, asking if I’d like to take on a role as well as studying at UCFB at the time.”

“Being a Muslim football supporter,” he added, “there definitely was a negative stigma.

“Now, I’m able to work at the club I support, make a difference in the community I’ve been brought up in, see the change within the club and be in a position where I can make a change, not only in the local community, but on a national scale as well.”

Speaking about his time at UCFB, Mohammed said: “My degree really helped me be successful within my role.

“It’s good that you can do a mixture of modules, from business to marketing and organising events, which has been perfect for me to settle into my role.

“If I didn’t have that support from UCFB from an early stage, telling me the skills needed to be successful in the big wide world of football, I think I’d have really struggled.”

He added: “When you mention UCFB to people within sport, they recognise the name and they know it’s one of the best places if you want to be successful within football.”

He finished, offering advice to those wanting a career in the sports industry: “Network with as many people as you can, be confident and get as much advice as you can.”

Find out more about our successful graduates working across the football and wider sports industry by clicking here.

To kick off your own career in sports, view a UCFB prospectus here.