The COVID-19 crisis around the world has made the sports industry totally rethink its strategy in how to engage fans and athletes while there’s no action out on the pitch. For MSc International Sport Management student Aman Jain, his internship at sports management group Vitae Sports gave him the opportunity to increase the company’s social media presence alongside interviewing a number of international cricketers…
Who are Vitae Sports, what is your role there and what does it entail?
Vitae Sports is a sports management firm based in Stoke-on-Trent with head offices in different parts of the world and their key service is to manage cricketers at domestic and international level. It was through Dan Mayhew from the Employability & Enrichment team that I got the opportunity to work with them. Some of the players on their portfolio include: Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali, ECB Managing Director and ex-England cricketer Ashley Giles, Pat Brown and Sandeep Lamichhane, to name a few.
You’ve been interviewing some of their athletes live on Instagram. Is that something you thought you’d be doing and how have you found it?
Initially, when I started this internship, it was mainly to do with marketing and business development and working on improving their website. But as the lockdown came into force, I developed an idea to host Instagram Live sessions to promote the Vitae Sports brand and increase their online social media presence. It also helped the company with starting a YouTube channel where they feature these interviews. I didn’t think at the start that I’d be doing these live sessions, but the founder showed faith in me and my strategy for him to increase the following; it’s worked well and his brand is growing with each session. It’s been an amazing experience doing these live sessions, as with each one I’m improving and getting an opportunity to add valuable experience to my CV.
With Pakistan set to tour England later this summer, how was it interviewing Azhar Ali?
It was an amazing experience to get this opportunity. I’m a cricketer myself so I knew how I would like to ask him questions, but my research on him really helped me to prepare a script so that I could keep both him and the viewers engaged for an hour. He was a very humble guy and spoke very well about the challenges of playing cricket overseas, how this young Pakistan team are developing and what the world can expect from them ahead of this crucial England tour.
What have you been able to take into the role from your time at UCFB?
I think the general skills, and also what I’ve learnt in modules like the Globalisation of Sport and Sports Global Marketing. Some of the marketing tools I’ve learnt in class have helped me to develop a strategy for the company. The general knowledge that I gained from the modules about sports management also helped me to develop an understanding of how to connect with a target audience.
What are your future career aspirations?
Career plans have taken a hit because of coronavirus, but luckily I am occupied with my dissertation which is due in November. The idea is to get a job in the football, tennis or cricket industry, preferably in a communications/creative role in London. I’m also looking towards the UCFB global hubs for future job opportunities after seeing the benefits on offer when I attended January’s summit at the MCG in Australia, along with the recent virtual Atlanta and Toronto summits.
