Andy Speed, Regional Recruitment Manager at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB), spent the day at the College talking to BTEC Sport and Coaching students. In England, UCFB has two locations with Wembley Stadium and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium at the heart of their campuses. Globally, UCFB also has campuses at major sports venues in the US and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

The students learnt that having a specialism within the sports industry could open up exciting opportunities not just in the UK, but overseas. In the EU alone, there are 1.7 million people working in the sector - 55% male and 45% female.

The students also discovered that there is much, much more to a long-term career in the sports industry than just on the playing side. Sports specialism courses at UCFB cover three main areas - physical education, coaching, management and talent development; stadium and events management; and professional services such as sports journalism, broadcasting, marketing, finance and law. Courses are at Foundation, Degree and Masters’ levels and are delivered together with the University of East London.

Mr Speed told the students: “Around 37% of people working in the sports industry in the EU are under the age of 30. This percentage is increasing at a higher rate than across the workplace in general. Of these, 80% have undertaken tertiary education and this is an increasing expectation for those entering the sector.”

Mr Speed also highlighted the strength of the sector: “The sports industry is a huge player in the UK economy in terms of revenue generation and in terms of the number of people who follow sport. So it is a fantastic sector to get into.”

The day was organised by our Careers and Employability Manager, Miss Trezona. She said: “The sports industry is an expanding and thriving sector to work in, and it involves a lot of varied specialisms - I think the types of roles might have been an eye-opener. I am sure that hearing about these exciting career opportunities will have inspired some to look at the courses that are available and consider the qualifications that will give them an advantage if they choose a career in this industry.”

The College would like to thank Mr Speed for visiting us and providing an insight into the options available for our students.  

University Campus of Football Business website