About me

• Partnerships Activation Manager at Destination Sport Group
• Studied: BA (Hons) Sports Marketing Management, 2019
• Contact me on LinkedIn

About my career

From the moment I started at Manchester Met, I knew I wanted to work in the sports business industry which is why the Sports Marketing Management degree was so appealing to me.

When I started my degree, I already had some contacts within the world of rugby league so started by getting some work experience with them. This was initially a voluntary role on matchdays involving helping with social media and writing content for the club website as I was initially interested in going into journalism. However, I was keen to expand my prospects so over time I got involved in more marketing and event based projects. This led to me gaining a part-time role as Marketing Coordinator for two days per week throughout my first two years of university. I had an opportunity to work on a range of exciting projects which is often the case working in sports where it is very hands-on. Alongside my marketing responsibilities, I had the opportunity to get involved with the commercial department, specifically in the area of sponsorship.

I spent a year on placement as a Partnerships Intern at Liverpool Football Club before returning to Wigan Warriors for my final year of university.

Upon graduation, I had a couple of different options including the opportunity to get back into football but gladly accepted the role of Partnerships Manager at Wigan Warriors. In short, this involves building a good relationship with each individual sponsor and their agencies to ensure they get everything that we promise them as part of their contract. This could be anything from tickets to a match to player access to film a campaign/commercial, so the role is very varied, and no two days are ever the same.

I reported into our Group Commercial Director who is based in London with a responsibility for securing new sponsors. This meant I had quite a bit of autonomy in my role, however I worked very closely with every other department, again ranging from colleagues in marketing through to first-team players and coaches, to get the job done.

My top tip for students

Take every opportunity to learn and develop yourself. Once you’ve graduated it’s a competitive jobs market. Often, you’re not just going up against fellow graduates but also professionals with a few years of industry experience.

If you have taken every opportunity to develop yourself (i.e. volunteering, part-time work, placement) and have an understanding/appreciation of what is happening within your chosen industry, so that you can articulate this within a job interview, you’re on the right path.

I have always tried to learn something from every single person I’ve worked with. Some colleagues I’ve worked with have been incredibly creative and great at problem-solving, whilst others have been better at organisation and attention to detail. If you can spot the best traits of those you work and study with and try to learn from them, then you’ll develop into a very talented professional.

I’m inspired by

The opportunity to work within the world of sport every day, as it is such an exciting and fast-paced industry to be in. I hope to be able to make a genuine difference within the industry and one day reflect that I’ve had the opportunity to work for some fantastic organisations, be involved in high profile events and travel - all the time doing something that I genuinely enjoy.

Why I love Manchester Met

I loved having the opportunity to immerse myself in sport every day. I appreciated that the lecturers were genuinely passionate about their fields. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear from leading guest speakers and partake in some fantastic field trips.

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