Ewan goes above and beyond
As a student on our BA (Hons) Sport Management course, there are plenty of chances to apply the theory you learn in the classroom to real-life settings. Ewan tells us about his work placements and volunteering roles.
Tell us about your Derby County Football Club Placement Experience.
During my placement at Derby County Football Club, I had experiences in a variety of departments including commercial, marketing, ticketing and community. The range of experiences available within the organisation and Derby County Community Trust allowed me to develop a wide range of skills and knowledge, supporting both my academic and personal skills.
Within the commercial department, I undertook a variety of research tasks, allowing me to develop a deep understanding of commercial partners, the packages available, and their value to both the club and an external organisation. The delivery aspect which I was able to support with where involved the programming of the stadiums LED advertising boards, ahead of a Sky Bet Championship matchday. These experiences developed my knowledge in networking, relationship management and commercial operations within the professional sport industry.
I also worked the Marketing department, and I was able to work on new initiatives and campaigns linked to key events in the club’s calendar, including artwork for the upcoming Player of the Year awards. This gave me a better understating of branding principles, target audiences and branded assets.
Within the ticketing department, I experienced how the system worked, is managed and used on a matchday with crowds of up to 33,000 people. Understanding the complexities of the ticketing system was a key aspect of my learning as well as how the club can utilise fan data, to inform pricing and marketing strategies, directly from ticket sales.
My placement experience at Derby County Community Trust, gave me a true insight into the significance of the club’s brand, what it means to the wider community and the vast number of initiatives that the trust run, to support those in need in the Derbyshire area. During a module in my second year, I was able to work closely with the Trust and support the planning and delivery of their largest fundraising events, the Derby 10K. This gave me experience of working with a large-scale sports event within the planning team, from designing the logistics and operations, marketing the event and delivering a successful day for attendees and commercial partners, including the event sponsors.
How did your placement experiences support your studying?
These real-world experiences provided me with a depth of knowledge of the processes undertaken in professional sport organisations across a wide range of departments. Gaining an understanding of how marketing theories and principles are used in the workplace was key for me as I could then apply them in my own coursework, and it helped to develop in areas like problem-solving, analytical skills and data management. Carrying out these placements built my confidence in my studies as I was able to relate theory to my experiences.
During my second year, I took a paid matchday role at DCFC in the marketing team. This continued through my final year of study. The role allowed me to develop skills including time management and commercial awareness, due to the fast-paced nature of delivering a successful matchday experience. I was able to use my customer service skills developed during placement in the ticket office, as well as delivering key commercial assets for the club including guard of honour, flag bearers and player escorts. By working in this paid role I was able to increase my network of industry professionals which helped me during my final year of study.
How useful was your placement and volunteering to your professional development?
University is a chance for you to grow professionally and engage in additional opportunities. Placement roles are key to ensuring that you can not only do well in the classroom but can also apply your skills in the workplace. As well as my role at DCFC and Derby Community Trust I also completed an additional placement at my old secondary school, supporting in the management of Primary School Sport Events. Although the process of running the events was quite simple, I gained a key skill in situational and people management, where I could implement new ways of doing things and learn more about my own management style.
Also volunteering, whether that be placements, Open Days at the University of Derby, panels, activities within the Student Union, or with uniformed groups such as The Scouts exposes you to professionals across many industries. I was able to watch and learn how to work with a range of people.
Leadership responsibilities in volunteer settings allowed me to develop confidence in making decisions. Leading a group of Year Nine Sports Leaders in the running of tournaments taught me to navigate challenges effectively and enhanced my problem-solving abilities. This was essential for my transition into industry. Engaging with opportunities while at University equips you with critical abilities such as teamwork, communication, and project management. These are skills that are highly valued by employers, therefore I would encourage anyone to pursue opportunities, that align with your career aspirations, as they will help you build a strong foundation for your future career success.
Tell us about your current role after graduating with Derby Count Cricket Club (DCCC).
In March, in my final year of study, I started the DCCC role part time, but since graduating the role has become full-time. As the Membership and Customer Sales Executive, I am responsible for the management of the clubs ticketing operation, access control, CRM and data management systems, as well as administrating the clubs retail operation. The role is very varied and because cricket is becoming an increasingly difficult sport to market, it can be a challenging role. As a team we constantly have to invent new ways to engage members and sell tickets. Within the role, I use skills developed from studying Sport Management, including digital skills, marketing, time management and importantly relationship management with our members.
This role has provided me with numerous opportunities, including a recent conference I attended in London around the use of customer data in the sports industry, including new CRM platforms and how data can inform marketing campaigns to improve sales. The Sport Management programme gave me a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the key principles of this topic area, and in my new role I can continue to grow.
What has been your biggest highlight working at DCCC so far?
My biggest highlight so far would be the victory against Nottingham in the T20 back in June. It was the first time in nine years that we had beaten them at home, and in front of a sell-out crowd too! It demonstrated to me why my role is so important, not only from an operational side, but in terms of the impact the club can have on supporters. Seeing all supporters walk out of the ground with smiles on their faces, after a long and hard day preparing for the match meant a lot to me personally. After all, it was my first “big matchday” in my new role!
What advice would you give to someone considering the BA (Hons) Sport Management Programme?
I would say just go for it! If you have an interest in business related topics and either enjoy playing or watching sport, then this is the course for you. To get the most out of the course it is important to take every opportunity, whether that be additional placement, paid work, volunteering or societies, as they are all key for you to grow as a person and be successful on the course. There are very few courses that set you up in an academic sense, as well as having a wealth of professional skills and experience.
