UCFB recently travelled to the London Stadium to meet up with some of the many graduates we currently have working at West Ham United.
Our graduates working at the Hammers include:
- Evie O’Sullivan – Women’s Communications – BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting
- Taylor Wood – Junior Video Producer – BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting
- Stefan Otway – Partnerships Manager – BA (Hons) Football Business and Finance
They spoke about how their degree, work experience and connections made at UCFB helped them secure their current role.
Stefan said, looking back on his time at university: “During my first year, I took work experience with AFC Fylde. That was through UCFB’s relationship with the National League, and I think that’s still going strong now.
Taylor added: “The fact that I could come to UCFB, get work experience at professional football clubs, broadcasters and agencies while I was studying was a massive thing for me.”
Evie, who gained work experience at National League club Boreham Wood during her time at UCFB, went on to say how she applied for her current role through UCFB JobTeaser.
“Taylor and a few other people put me forward,” she said. “They said to my now bosses that I’d applied and if they could have a chat. Within a week, I had the job.
“It is who you know, not what you know. I know that’s a bit stereotypical but it’s true in this industry.”
Taylor then spoke about his experiences of working full time for West Ham while still being a UCFB student.
“I didn’t see my end of university as graduating,” he said. “I saw it as once I’d achieved a full-time role, I’d finished uni.
“I applied for roles with around two to three months left at university. I started here at West Ham in the April.
“Ultimately, it meant I was going to have to start a full-time career while still studying.
“It was tough, but to me, that’s what mattered. Don’t feel like you can’t do that.”
Stefan then finished by saying how now there are a number of UCFB graduates across West Ham United’s different departments, and how having UCFB on a CV really can stand out.
He said: “We’ve almost got a family of UCFB graduates here. I think there’s about eight or nine of us.
“It’s something we look at when we’re hiring for roles across the club. When you see UCFB on someone’s CV, it bears that weight that you know they’ve got the knowledge of the industry.
“They’ve probably been networking already or already got their foot in the door somewhere, whether that be a National League club or being at networking events.
“It’s that passion for football that carries when someone says they have UCFB on their CV, and you know they’re going to give everything.”
To find out more about how many of our graduates are succeeding across the football and wider sports industry, click here.
You can also kick off your own career in the industry by viewing a UCFB prospectus here.
