Do you aspire to follow a career in sports, but unsure about what paths are available? 

As part of the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form Colleges Sports Futures Programme, we took a group of first year BTEC Sport Students to an exciting morning at Stoke City Football Club to learn about the variation of careers that are available in the football industry. 

Upon arrival at the football club, the group of students attended a presentation to learn about life at Stoke City Football Club, the different roles the Club employs, and what their jobs involve on a day to day basis. 

Aiming to broaden students horizons, the presentation focused on the important role each employee plays in ensuring the The Club runs as smoothly as possible, from Catering to Groundskeeping, Physiotherapy to Marketing and PR, highlighting just how many more options are available other than football. 

The presentation was then drawn to a close with final comments informing students about the work of the Club’s Community Outreach Programme and also some information about Stoke City Community Trust’s Degree Foundation Programme, which provides students who are passionate about pursuing a career in the football industry, with an opportunity to gain a university qualification once they have completed their studies at College.

The day was then rounded off with a guided tour around the Club’s facilities where students were able to visit the home and away team’s changing rooms and club rooms as well as walk down to the pitch and get an insight into the science involved in curating the perfect pitch playing conditions.

David Hardwick Health, Wellbeing & Sport Co-ordinator at the Sixth Form College commented, “External visits such as are invaluable in raising student aspirations and helping to broaden their horizons. 

“Often students who want to pursue a career in football only consider being a football player, or physiotherapist. So this is a perfect opportunity for students to get an insight into the day to day running of a football club and realise that there are so many roles that they could pursue whilst still being heavily involved in football.”