job title

KS3 & 4 PSHE
LESSON PLAN 1 – ‘WHAT’S YOUR GOAL?’ COMPETITION
The following lesson plan is designed for one 50 to 60 minute session.
Reminder: the competition closes at 5pm on Friday 25 March 2011.
Learning Objectives:
•Tounderstandtheskills,knowledge,experienceandqualitiesneededtosuccessfullycarryoutthejobsbeingperformedby
the mentors
•Tochoosearoletoapplyforbasedonpersonalinterests
•Toidentifyhowownskills,knowledge,experienceandqualitieswouldmakethemsuitablefortheirchosen‘trainee’roleand
usethesetowriteajobapplication
•Toidentifystrengthsandweaknessinapplicationstoimprovetheirownapplication
Lesson Resources
Resource1:What’sYourGoal?videoclip
Resource2:ChooseYourPosition(PDF)–thesearethejobrolesonofferinthecompetition
Resource3:PackofElevenJobCards–oneforeachrolebeingofferedinthecompetition.Thiscontainsthejobdescription,
thebiog(careerhistory)oftheprofessionalwhowillmentorthewinningstudentandtheirtoptipsforhowanystudentcan
gainexperienceforacareerinthisfield.(PDF)
Resource4:NotesandIdeasforMyJobApplicationWorksheet(PDF)
Resource5:StrengthsandWeaknessesinJobApplications’Activity(PDF)
Resource6:ApplicationForm(PDF)-Printtherequirednumberofapplicationformsforyourpupilstoenter‘What’sYour
Goal?’
Lesson Introduction (approx. 10 mins)
Introduce the What’s Your Goal? Competition
Explainthe‘What’sYourGoal?’competitiontostudentsandthattheyhaveanopportunitytoapplyforaday’swork
experienceplacementtoworkwithoneof11professionalsfromwithinfootballshadowingandassistingwiththeirrolesat
variousFootballLeagueclubsacrossthecountry.Showthe‘What’sYourGoal?’videoclip(Resource1).
What other jobs, apart from the footballers, are involved in The Football League?
Askthestudentstothinkofasmanyotherjobsastheycan,apartfromfootballers,thatareinvolvedinTheFootballLeague?
Activity One
Finding out about different career opportunities in football
(Approx 15 minutes)
Showthestudentsthe“ChangeYourPositioncard”(Resource2)thatareonofferinthe‘What’sYourGoal?’competition,
eitherbyusingthePDFontheprojectororinteractivewhiteboard,orprintingoutforstudents.
Choose one of the roles to explore as a class.
LookatoneofthejobplacementcardsinthePackofElevenJobCards(Resource3)e.g.thereferee.Lookinthedifferent
sections–thejobdescriptionbeingofferedinthe‘PackofElevenJobCards’competition,theprofessional’sbiog(career
history)andtheirtoptips–andfindoutthefollowinginformation:
i) What do you think is involved in that role?
Withthisquestiondeveloptheideaofthe‘day-to-day’tasksinvolvedinajob.
•Makingsurealltherulesareenforcedwhenafootballmatchisbeingplayed
•Makingdecisionsaboutwhetherfoulshavetakenplaceornot
•Workingwiththeothermatchofficials
ii) What skills, knowledge, training and experience do you need for that role?
Withthesequestionsstarttodevelopstudents’understandingofthedifferencebetweenskills,knowledge,trainingand
experience.
•Needtoknowtherulesinsideout(knowledge)
•Needtohavedonetherelevanttrainingcourse(training)
•Experienceofrefereeingatvariouslevelsinorderandberegisteredonthenationallistofreferees(experience)
•Needtohaveexcellentobservationalskillstowatchtheplayandbeabletomakedecisionsquickly
(skill–developedbypractise)
•Experienceofplayingfootball(experience)
•Needtobeveryfitasrefshavetokeepupwiththeplayduringamatch(training)
iii) What qualities do you need for that role?
Withthesequestionsstarttodevelopstudents’understandingofthequalitiesandattitudesrequired.
•Calm,consistent,diplomatic,couragetostandbyyourconvictionsandreliableunderpressure
•Determined–atthebeginningofareferee’scareertherewillbenotelevisionreplaytoseewhetherornottheirdecision
wasrightandpeoplewilldisagreedependingwhosesideadecisiongoesagainst
Ifyouhavemoretimetodevelopyourstudents’understandingofqualities,skills,interestsandstrengths,youcouldusethe
‘TurningWorkExperienceintoWorkInspiration’resource-Insight1:AllAboutMe.IthasbeendevelopedbyBusinessinthe
CommunitytosupportemployerswhenhostingstudentsonWorkExperience,butitcontainssomeinterestingquestionsto
helpassessyoungpeople’snaturalabilities,theirstrengthsandtheiraspirations.Itcanbedownloadedfrom:
www.workinspiration.com/Insight1.aspx
Givestudentsthepackofjobcards&andaskthemtoinvestigateatleastthreeoftherolesthatmostinterestthem.
Foreachfindoutthesameinformation:
•Whatisinvolvedinthejob?
•Whatqualitiesdoyouneedforthatrole?
Take feedback.
•Whichjobsdidtheyfindinterestingandwhy?
•Whichjobswouldneedmostqualifications/training/knowledge?
•Whattalentsandskillswouldyouhavetodevelopinordertobeajournalist,sportstherapist,coachetc?
•Whatdifferent/similarqualitieswouldarefereeandajournalistneedfortheirwork?
Activity Two
‘What’s Your Goal?’ Deciding on the job to apply for and identifying why you would make a good
trainee in this role for one day. (Approx 15 minutes)
Usethe‘NotesandIdeasforMyJobApplication’Worksheet(Resource4)modelwithonestudentmakingsomenotesforeach
ofthefourareas:
•Myskillsandknowledgethatarerelevanttothisjob
•Myexperiencesthatarerelevanttothisjob
•Mypersonalqualitiesthatarerelevanttothisjob
•WhatIfindinterestingaboutthejobI’mapplyingfor
Encouragethemtounderstandthateventhoughtheyareteenagerstheywillhaveskills,knowledge,experiencesandpersonal
qualitiesthatareusefulandemployerswouldvalueinanytrainees.Drawthisoutusingexamplesfromyourstudents,e.g.“I
havebeengoingtoadanceclubonceaweekforthreeyears”–showscommitmentanddeterminationtodevelopskills,etc.
Studentsthenmakenotesforthejobtheyhavechosentoapplyfor.
Activity Three
Writing a good application that stands out from the crowd (Approx 20 minutes)
Usethe‘ApplicationForm’(Resource6)sostudentscancompletetheirapplicationtoenterthecompetition.Students
caneitherwriteandposttheirentryortypeandemailit.Readthetwoexampleapplicationformsinthe‘Strengthsand
WeaknessesinJobApplications’Activity(Resource5).Getthestudentstoidentifystrengthsandweaknessesinthetwo
applications.Identifying:
Sam Taylor
•Spellingmistakes–showslackofcareandattentiontodetail
•Thiscandidateismoreinterestedinthemoneythandevelopingtheirskillsandunderstandingofthejob.
Shaya Robins
•Well-written
•Explainsgoodattitudeandqualities–happytoworklongerthanninetofive
•Whenwatchingmatchesexplainsthatshethinksaboutthemanagersdecisionstryingtoworkoutwhytheyhavemade
them.Showspassionandwillingnesstogainexperienceininterestingways.
Which application do students think would be chosen?
WhilstShaya’sapplicationisverywellwritten,itwouldprobablynotgetthejob.Whynot?
Therearenotenoughpersonalexperiencesandexamplesincludedinittomakeitstandoutfromthecrowd.Cantheythink
whatelsethiscandidatecouldhaveincluded?Thiscandidateonlywroteapprox.100wordsforeachsectionsotheycould
haveincludedlotsmoredetails.Theapplicationformallows200wordspersection.
Studentsthencompletetheirapplicationsusingthenotestheyhavemade.Handwrittenortypedapplicationswillbe
acceptedinthecompetition.
Plenary
Studentscouldgiveeachotherfeedbackoneachothers’applicationstoimprovethem.
Discusswhattheyneedtolookoutforwhentheyreviewtheirapplication:
•content
•grammar
•spellingmistakes
•missingwords
Homework
Ifyourstudentsrequiremoretime,studentscancompletetheapplicationformasahomeworktaskandbringitbacktoyou
soyoucanemail/posttheminonebatch.
Sending in the application forms
Pleaseensure:
-Youhaveread,understandandagreetotheTerms&Conditions.Thesecanbefoundatwww.npower.com/whatsyourgoal
-YourstudentshavecompletedtheParent/GuardianandTeachersectionoftheapplicationformaccurately.Thisisimportant
informationthatwewillneedifanyofyourstudentsareshortlistedtothenextstageofthecompetition.
-Thecompletedapplicationformsmustbereceivedbynpowerby5pmonFriday25March2011usingoneofthefollowing
ways:
•emailtheapplicationform(s)asanattachmentto:[email protected]
OR
•posttheapplicationform(s)to:What’sYourGoal?Application,npower,OakHouse,1BridgwaterRoad,Warndon,Worcester,
WR49FP
CHOOSE YOUR POSITION
JOB TITLE
BUSINESS MANAGER
VENUE
IPSWICH TOWN FC
JOB TITLE
SPORTS PUNDIT
VENUE
WEMBLEY
JOB TITLE
REFEREE
VENUE
TBC
JOB TITLE
MANAGER
VENUE
QUEENS PARK
RANGERS FC
JOB TITLE
TV PRODUCER
VENUE
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CLUB VENUE
JOB TITLE
COACH
VENUE
DERBY COUNTY FC
JOB TITLE
JOB TITLE
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
KIT MANAGER
VENUE
VENUE
WEMBLEY
CRYSTAL PALACE FC
JOB TITLE
TV PRESENTER
VENUE
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CLUB VENUE
JOB TITLE
SPORTS THERAPIST
VENUE
SWINDON TOWN FC
FIND OUT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT JOBS
www.npower.com/whatsyourgoal
JOB TITLE
PRINT JOURNALIST
VENUE
OLD TRAFFORD
CHOOSE YOUR POSITION
JOB TITLE
BUSINESS MANAGER
VENUE
IPSWICH TOWN FC
JOB TITLE
SPORTS PUNDIT
VENUE
WEMBLEY
JOB TITLE
REFEREE
VENUE
TBC
JOB TITLE
MANAGER
VENUE
QUEENS PARK
RANGERS FC
JOB TITLE
TV PRODUCER
VENUE
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CLUB VENUE
JOB TITLE
COACH
VENUE
DERBY COUNTY FC
JOB TITLE
JOB TITLE
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
KIT MANAGER
VENUE
VENUE
WEMBLEY
CRYSTAL PALACE FC
JOB TITLE
TV PRESENTER
VENUE
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CLUB VENUE
JOB TITLE
SPORTS THERAPIST
VENUE
SWINDON TOWN FC
FIND OUT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT JOBS
www.npower.com/whatsyourgoal
JOB TITLE
PRINT JOURNALIST
VENUE
OLD TRAFFORD
LYNN WARNER
BUSINESS MANAGER
JOB TITLE: BUSINESS MANAGER
Venue: Ipswich Town FC – Portman Road
Brief description:
The business manager of a football club is at the financial heart of things, managing
revenue and expenses to achieve the highest possible profit for the club. They
basically make the club money. This can be through hospitality, sales or business
partnerships and on match day, they play a vital role in keeping these partners happy.
Key skills:
Organisation
Persuasion - ability to sell ice to an Eskimo
Partnership management
Ability to spot opportunities
Creativity
Main responsibilities:
Building revenue for the club
Managing commercial partners and businesses
Coming up with exciting deals and offers for fans
Club revenue and expenses for partnerships and affinity products
Working hours:
Like most business jobs their official working hours are 9-5 but match day is
important in courting clients, partners and local businesses.
Blog:
Lynn joined Ipswich Town in 2002 and was subsequently
promoted to business partnership manager in 2004.
Lynn is responsible for managing the relationships with
the Club’s key sponsors, affinity, betting and loyalty partners, and managing
The Football League commercial deals on behalf of the Club. The Club’s commercial
deals are key revenue generators. For example, since Ipswich Town launched the
Save & Support Accounts with Britannia, it has become one of the most successful
savings schemes in football, generating over £7.2 Million for the Club.
The role of the business partnership manager involves the promoting the Club’s
products and services through various media channels - and on match days.
Marketing campaigns can include the creation of radio adverts, the production of
web editorial and e-newsletters, involvement with the design and production of
adverts and flyers and the co-ordination of match day activity (pre-match and half
time). The Club strives to give supporters good quality, value for money, products
and services from reputable organisations. Key skills for this role include marketing,
sales, project management and customer service.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE BUSINESS MANAGERS:
1. A proactive sales approach is key - so going out and finding opportunities
2.
3.
The Winner’s Challenge:
The Ipswich Town business manager will give you an insight into the role: you will do
a stadium tour – seeing where the club makes their money (billboards, hospitality
boxes, club shop etc). You will then become the business manager deputy You will
then be asked to think up a new commercial event held at the club to promote the
club to local businesses and fans.
4.
5.
is really important.
An understanding of budgets and how figures work is important, so make
sure your maths is up to scratch and maybe get a business studies or
economics GCSE or A Level.
Be creative. There are 72 Football League clubs all with very similar
business plans so anything that stands out, brings in revenue and appeals
to the fans is a great idea.
A will to succeed. Love your job, enjoy it and you will want the business
to prosper.
Have a lot of drive and determination. Be ambitious and strive for the top.
Hopefully your football team will follow your lead.
JOB TITLE: SPORTS PUNDIT
Venue: npower Championship Play Off Finals – Wembley
Brief description:
A TV sports pundit must ooze charisma, presenting insightful and knowledgeable
analysis to famous presenters and football experts.
Key skills:
Insightful and entertaining conversation
Charisma and quick-wit
Encyclopaedic knowledge of football
Excellent communication
Strong opinions on the topics that matter
Main responsibilities:
Keeping their beady eye on contentious decisions and team tactics
The goal scorer isn’t always the man of the match; it is important to analyse and
discuss all the players, some who might have been missed by the viewer at home
Ability to talk football with the confidence and speech of a newsreader but with
the freedom and opinions of your mates at school
Working hours:
Working on TV programmes is always fast-moving and hours depend on how many
matches are being played - big international events like the World Cup increase the
hours but at least a TV pundit will see all the action firsthand!
Salary guide:
A trip to the npower Championship Play Offs at Wembley awaits our successful
candidate where you will analyse a live game before taking part in a live broadcast.
KEVIN KEEGAN
SPORTS PUNDIT
Blog:
An incredibly passionate and renowned communicator, Kevin
Keegan is one of the most recognisable faces in British football.
An illustrious playing career included time at Liverpool,
Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle as well as the national
side, captaining England for six years until his international
retirement after the 1982 World Cup. As a manager, he held the reins at Newcastle,
Fulham, Manchester City and England.
A highly respected and credible broadcaster, Keegan is a lead analyst on Premier League
coverage and travelled to the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Born in Doncaster, Keegan began his football career in 1968 at Scunthorpe United before
moving to Liverpool in 1971 where he won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, an
FA Cup and the European Cup. From Liverpool Kevin joined Hamburger SV of Germany.
Voted European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, his return to UK football
came at Southampton before joining Newcastle United and finally retiring
as a player in 1984. He was capped 63 times for England scoring 21 international goals.
Kevin embarked on his managerial career in 1992 at Newcastle and then with Fulham
and Manchester City. He now devotes his time to his media work and business interests.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE SPORTS PUNDITS:
1. Know your stuff. Read the papers, blogs, message boards and websites
and watch the football programmes.
2. Practise your public speaking. Enter debating teams, speak up in class
or put yourself forward for plays and shows which will increase your
confidence of speaking in public.
3. Get experience with local radio channels, newspapers and magazines:
many of these like to have help from young and enthusiastic people
wanting to make it.
4. Look the part. I preferred a tracksuit when I was a manager but as a
pundit I like to dress smart, especially as I am on the television.
NEIL WARNOCK
MANAGER
JOB TITLE: MANAGER
Venue: Queens Park Rangers FC – Loftus Road, London
Brief description:
You’re the don, the master, the boss, captain and commander. You’re the difference
between success and failure and thrive on being the ‘face’ of the football club.
Key skills:
Organisation of up and coming youth players, famous stars and seasoned
professionals
Managing everyone in the club from your chairman to your grounds man
Decision-making – your decisions will affect the lives of thousands of fans
Hard working and a never say die attitude
Communication – you may have to learn some basic Spanish!
Main responsibilities:
Keeping the fans happy – at the end of the day they pay your wages
Winning trophies
Signing the next big thing
Keeping the dressing room on your side
Getting money out of the Chairman without losing your job
Players’ mentor, boss, surrogate father and shoulder to cry on
Working hours:
A manager oversees the whole football club and will know everything that is going
on. A manager’s job is never done.
The Winners Challenge:
You will receive advice and guidance from Neil Warnock during a QPR training
session which you will use to put together a new team strategy for QPR FC - maybe
a new formation with key details on why it will work, utilising the players at your
disposal. You will also get to sit in the QPR dugout for a live game.
Blog:
Born in Sheffield on December 1st 1948, Neil Warnock spent
his early career with Rotherham United, Hartlepool United,
Scunthorpe United, Aldershot and Barnsley.
His first full-time managerial job arrived at Northern Premier League side Gainsborough
Trinity in 1981, before moving onto Burton Albion, Scarborough, Notts County,
Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Oldham and Bury.
In 1999, he joined Sheffield United and in his seven years at Bramall Lane, Warnock led
United to FA Cup and League Cup Semi-Finals; the First Division Play-off Final; and then,
in May 2006, promotion to the Premier League.
He next went to Crystal Palace who, under Warnock, made a massive turn-around,
moving from relegation battlers to promotion contenders in the space of six months.
Warnock joined QPR in February 2010 and quickly turned around their fortunes and
guided them to safety with some margin.
The 2010/11 season has seen Warnock’s QPR at the top of the Championship table for
practically the entire campaign.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE FOOTBALL MANAGERS
1. Man Management – Handling all situations relating to players on and off the
field, both professional and personal.
2. Team selection – Balance is vital. Not every team has the best players in
3.
4.
5.
every department but the right mix of talents, positions, temperament and
personalities is vital.
Tactical awareness – In the modern game this is very important. Formations
need to be flexible especially as they can win or more importantly, lose
games. The use of substitutes are very relevant in this scene too. The seven
players on the bench must be capable of influencing a game.
Coaching – Team patterns and the ability to change the flow of the game
is also important to a teams comfort on the field. The individuals within
the team have to be confident and comfortable with their own individual
abilities so individual coaching is VERY important.
Winning mentality – Breeding a winning mentality into individuals and the
whole squad is very important. A team is as strong as its weakest players.
Players get mental strength from each other so it follows that if the squad is
strong, the team will be strong.
BILLY MCGINTY
JOB TITLE: TV PRODUCER
TV PRODUCER
Venue: Football League Club Venue
Brief description:
A TV producer is in charge of the whole programme from the first idea to the final
edit. You decide what makes the show and what gets cut, what gets said and what
doesn’t. But with power comes responsibility and if the show is a nightmare you
have to take the flak. A TV producer will be in charge of all the action… “ACTION!”.
Key skills:
Planning
Thinking outside of the box
Communicating
Multi-tasking – you must think like a presenter, journalist, editor and researcher
Main responsibilities:
Organising all filming
Hiring ‘behind-the-scenes’ staff – freelancers are key
Speaking to TV stations
Planning projects
Keeping a calm head when those around you lose theirs
Working hours:
Working hours will depend on match times and filming schedules. Working from
planning stages, where ideas are paper only, until they hit the screen and the
director calls ‘cut’.
Blog:
I joined Sky Sports in 1997, after graduating from Durham
University in 1996 with a degree in Geology. During my
time at University, I did plenty of vacation work at BBC
North West in Manchester where I gained an insight into
all aspects of TV & radio broadcasting. It goes without
saying, I’m a passionate sport and football fan.
Initially, I began working with the golf department at Sky as a production junior and
moved to Football as an assistant producer in 2000. In the last eleven years, I’ve
worked on all of Sky’s football output including The Champions League, Premier
League and International Football. I was promoted to the role of associate producer
in 2003 and became the Producer of the Football League in 2009.
As the producer, I have overall editorial control over a live programme, I’ll select
relevant guests and oversee the various features and interviews played out around
the game.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE TV PRODUCERS:
1. Gain as much industry experience as possible, through work experience
2.
3.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will spend two days with our producer. On the first day you will visit a game and
watch the filming, learning the role before being set a challenge of coming up with
a new TV show segment. On your second day you will assist the producer in filming
your new football segment that you have created, possibly interviewing the local
players of that team.
4.
5.
and placements, find out how the business works, understand all the roles
involved and what goes into making a programme.
Persevere. Be prepared to take some knocks along the way; it may take a
while to get your opportunity but when it comes, you must make the most
of it.
Know your subject. Use every media outlet to maintain and improve your
knowledge of the game; reading a report or feature in a newspaper may
generate an idea which could be transformed to work on TV.
Enhance and improve your teamwork and leadership skills by getting
involved with clubs and societies.
Be organised and prepared. Much of a TV producer’s work is done
before match day, be thorough in your research, and in the words of
Southampton manager Nigel Adkins, “Control the controllables!”
DARREN WASSALL
ACADEMY COACH
JOB TITLE: COACH
Venue: Derby County FC – Pride Park
Brief description:
A football coach is in charge of the nuts and bolts, keeping the team a well oiled
machine while honing their skills to make them champions.
Key skills:
Organisation
Getting your point across clearly but forcefully
Managing players and their expectations
Solving problems
Motivating a team – you’re chief cheerleader
Main responsibilities:
Keeping intensity high when enthusiasm is low
Ensuring the team know each other inside out and squabbles are sorted
Solving problems with the insight of Einstein
Supporting the first team coaching staff
Inventing new training routines and player formations – a tactical wizard
Working hours:
A coach is always right in the heart of the action, constantly monitoring the team’s
performance during the matches, so working hours fit around training schedules and
match days.
Blog:
Darren Wassall, 42, featured over 120 times for the Rams in
his playing career.
He joined Derby County in the summer of 1992 from local
rivals Nottingham Forest and soon gained a reputation as a reliable defender.
He was also a member of the side that won promotion to the Premier League under
Jim Smith in 1996. Wassall left the Rams in 1997 to join Birmingham City.
He played under Derby County manager Nigel Clough at Burton Albion, before
hanging up his boots in 2005.
Wassall then turned his attentions to coaching and was involved in the youth
set-up at the Pirelli Stadium, before re-joining Derby in the summer of 2009 as
Academy Coach.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE ACADEMY COACHES:
1. You have to be inspirational. For most footballers, you are their first
2.
3.
4.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will shadow and analyse a first-team training session with Derby County’s
academy coach. An academy coach is in charge of training the academy team – your
challenge will be putting together a new training strategy getting the players into
shape. You will test your communication skills when you present your ideas to the
Derby County academy coach.
5.
coach and many great players have placed great credit on their academy
managers and their first coaches.
Get your qualifications done early. You can start these in your teens with
local football clubs and leisure centres, so find out from your local teams
how best to achieve these.
Get experience. Teaching kids is a great way to start your career and there
are some amazing initiatives abroad which allow you to teach youngsters,
particularly in America.
Watch a lot of football. But don’t just watch it, really analyse it. Read
columns in newspapers and listen to pundits. Learn from your peers and
take every bit of advice on board. Live for football and your passion will
rub off on the kids you are coaching.
A determination to succeed and a competitive edge goes a long way. Brian
Clough was one of the country’s greatest coaches and he was a sore loser.
Most great coaches are. Ambition, drive and will to succeed often leads
to success.
SASA IHRINGOVA
FOOTBALL LEAGUE REFEREE
JOB TITLE: REFEREE
Venue: TBC
Blog:
Brief description:
Some say the hardest job of all, refereeing a game is not just about abiding by a set of
rules but controlling players, fans and managers. Courage in your convictions and the
diplomacy of the Prime Minister is a must.
Key skills:
Getting your point across clearly but forcefully
Integrity and the courage of your convictions
Learning from your mistakes – we all make them
The concentration of a fighter pilot
Physical fitness – some refs run as far as a player
Main responsibilities:
Making sure all rules are enforced
Telling the difference between a dangerous and perfect tackle
Know the game and learn from it, then you can empathise with the players
Getting that all important decision right – you might be the difference between
victory and defeat.
Sasa played football in a very successful women’s team in
Slovakia until she was 19. Realising she had reached her
personal maximum as a player, she followed a suggestion from her uncle and tried
refereeing; her uncle was an international referee for many years and saw the great
potential ahead for female officials.
Sasa started refereeing at 20 and steadily progressed through the domestic men’s
competitions in Slovakia, reaching the 2nd Division as a referee.
Sasa was nominated for the international list of referees in 2001. During her
international career, she refereed the final of the Women’s European Championship
in 2005 and the Women’s Champions League Final in 2008, as well as the FIFA U-20
Women’s World Cup final in 2008 and the European U-19 Women’s Final in 2003.
With the Women’s World Cup being held this year, her ultimate goal of refereeing at
the top women’s football event might be within reach.
When Sasa moved to live in England in 2005, a whole new football world opened
to her. She managed to get appointed to the National List of Assistant Referees in
2007 and since then, has been involved in top professional football games for the
npower Football League. Sasa admits that every game is a challenge but she enjoys
refereeing more than ever before.
Working hours:
Referees meet officials before each game to prepare, also attending training and
assessments between matches. Working hours are flexible but a referee will need
to train in their spare time to keep fit enough to keep up with the players and stay
amongst the action.
The Winner’s Challenge:
After watching and learning from our Football League referee, you will help referee a
training session. You will then sit in the dugout at a live Football League match and
test your decisions against those the professional referee makes.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE REFEREES:
1. Give it a go! Enrol in a basic referee’s course and you will learn everything
you need to know to referee a football game.
2. Get in touch with your local refereeing community who will help and
3.
4.
5.
support you.
Watch football games and learn from experienced referees.
Keep fit.
Be strong, persevere and enjoy the challenges.
JOHN SIBLEY
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
JOB TITLE: SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
Venue: npower Championship Play Off Finals - Wembley
Blog:
Brief description:
Intense concentration for 90 minutes is vital as you look to capture that gamedefining moment. You need to think about light, weather and the tone of the match
to encapsulate a game in an awe-inspiring picture perfect for Sunday’s back pages.
Key skills:
Photography!
Technical skills in editing and printing photos
A keen interest in the media and current events
High levels of concentration and quick reactions
Creativity and an ability to think outside the box
Main responsibilities:
Summing up a match in one image
Showing the people at home what they missed
Developing a great relationship with the media so they choose your image
over everyone else’s
John studied Industrial Design at college but decided to
leave after two years, halfway through the course and went
to work as a photographer on local newspapers in Essex.
After working there for two years, John then joined Action Images in 1991 as a
trainee photographer. Processing film, printing and filing etc….
John has been there ever since, working his way up to be a photographer, then
finally chief photographer.
John has covered four World Cups, four European Championships and several
Olympics - along with over ten major footballing finals, including the FA Cup final
and Champions League finals.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHERS:
1. Get a portfolio together. This is one of the fundamental things you need
2.
Working hours:
Sports photographers are freelance so they can choose how many matches they
want to photograph and how much time they spend editing so it is flexible and can
be combined with other jobs.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will assist a sports photographer at the npower Championships Play Offs,
learning the tricks of the trade and how to capture the perfect sports shot. As your
challenge, you will take a photo at the match that will be published in national kids’
newspaper First News.
3.
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and will be the first thing anyone will ask for when you apply for a job.
Know what makes a good photograph. Research photographs in
newspapers, magazines, books, posters etc. All these different mediums
all carry different styles of photography which you will need to be able to
produce to meet your client’s needs.
Know your subject. Know the major players in the event you’re
photographing. Know the story behind the game and why it’s a story.
Know the rules, so you can spot incidents as they happen. This way, you
have more chance of getting that decisive image.
Be prepared. Make sure all you gear works, all your batteries are charged
and you have all the memory cards you need for the job. Lots of sports
photography is outdoors and in England, this means in the cold and rain.
Be prepared to work. This job isn’t nine to five! You might be needed
to work for 20 hours, do two or three jobs a day and you’re on call
24 hours a day.
BRIAN ROGERS
KIT MANAGER
JOB TITLE: KIT MANAGER
Venue: Crystal Palace FC – Selhurst Park, London
Blog:
Brief description:
Ever heard your PE teacher bellow ‘Look Smart, Play Smart’? Never a truer word
has been said and it is up to the kit m anager to send the players out looking like
champions. Of course, they’ll always come back caked in mud but we can leave the
boot scrubbing and kit washing to the youth team. Don’t forget your French
maestro’s snood!
Key skills:
Organisation
Attention to detail
Creativity – a flair for fashion!
Communication
Managing the youth team boot cleaners
Main responsibilities:
Ensuring shirts are tucked in, socks are pulled up and jewellery is stowed away
Getting those shirts filthy shirts squeaky clean
Keeping an eye on the latest trends – sandals over socks, socks above the knees
and of course, the snood for winter months!
Laying out the kit so all the players have to worry about is scoring that all
important goal
Working hours:
A kit manager works around the team’s training sessions and match days, making
sure all equipment is ready for use.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will shadow our kit manager the day before match day, learning the importance
of this role. Your challenge will be to design a new kit for the team taking into
account all that you have learned.
Brian Rogers used to be the team coach driver at Crystal
Palace. Steve Coppell asked him whether he would like to
join the club as reserve team kit manager for the club and he has now been at Palace
for 12 years.
His duties include being based at the training ground all week and then at the home
and away games at weekends.
Away from home, he travels up with the squad and then, on the day of the match,
his work begins: he goes to the ground first thing in the morning to lay the kit out
so, when he arrives for the game, everything is ready for the big kick-off.
For home games, he puts the kit out in the dressing room on the day before a game
so that the scene is set ready for the big day. Then, on the morning of the match,
he goes down and makes sure all the final preparation work is done; pumping up the
balls, getting the warm up kit ready etc. Then he waits for the boys to arrive for the
game.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE KIT MANAGERS:
1. You have to remember that you are in a privileged position in the dressing
2.
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room. You hear things and say nothing.
Good planning is key to the job. Always be prepared and one step ahead.
Nowadays, all players have squad numbers so remember to always have
the correct names and numbers on the shirts before the players take
the field.
It’s not just about match day: a kit man must remember that training is
every day of the week and all training kit has to be ready right down to the
academy age groups.
You need to flexible with your working hours and often prepared to work
long weeks.
KATE CADY
SPORTS THERAPIST
JOB TITLE: SPORTS THERAPIST
Venue: Swindon Town FC – The County Ground
Brief description:
Sports therapists take care of all the players in a football team keeping them in tip-top
condition - from diagnosing broken metatarsals and torn cruciate ligaments, to giving
the post-game rub down. Therapists in the past have saved the careers and at times,
lives of the players so your role is one of the most important ones. Also, someone
needs to keep that ice bath nice and cold.
Key skills:
Degree in sports therapy
Fascination with the workings of the human body
A strong stomach upon witnessing a bad injury
Great hands for those all important massages
Quick thinking and a caring attitude
Main responsibilities:
Diagnosing injuries
Coming up with treatment plans and schedules
Treating injured players stricken on the field
Advising on weird and wonderful new-age treatments
Liaising with the team doctor and consultants
Working hours:
Working hours are dependent on match times and training sessions, as a sports
therapist works closely with the players and coach to make sure that any injuries are
treated quickly and effectively.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will spend a day assisting our sports therapist, watching the medical team
attend to injured players and learning how a sports therapist diagnoses injuries, puts
together rehabilitation plans and gets players back to full fitness. You will then put
together a training and rehabilitation plan for an injured player at Swindon Town FC.
Blog:
Kate graduated in 1999 with a degree in sports therapy
and then graduated with a MSc in sports and exercise
medicine in 2007. She is now completing an MSc in football
rehabilitation, which she is due to complete in August 2011.
She has been working in football since 2003, with three years in semiprofessional
football. Kate joined Swindon Town five seasons ago, working with their youth and
centre of excellence and now with the first team. She has 11 years of experience
working in sport.
Kate is currently head of sports therapy and physiotherapy for the English ice
hockey association and up until this season, was sports therapist for the England
under 16 ice hockey team. She has worked with Great Britain women’s ice hockey at
tournaments and also has worked in rugby for 10 years.
In 2004, she started work as a university lecturer at London Metropolitan University
and then in 2008 joined University of Gloucestershire as a senior lecturer in sports
therapy. Kate left there in October 2010.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE SPORTS THERAPISTS:
1. Be prepared to work unsociable hours and a lot of them. You have to be
2.
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at a players beck and call, especially in emergency situations.
Good interpersonal skills. I am in close contact with players and staff
every day in often awkward and painful situations so I need to be good
with people.
To experience different sports rather than just focus on one, as this gives
you more exposure to different injuries.
To get yourself out there and get lots of experience in the job. So many
industries need therapists and physios, so start young. There are thousands
of non-league clubs that are often happy to have a therapist assistant.
To undertake lots of continuous professional development after you
graduate. Get your qualifications and you will succeed.
IAN EDDY
PRINT JOURNALIST
JOB TITLE: PRINT JOURNALIST
Venue: npower League One Play Off Finals at Old Trafford
Blog:
Brief description:
A print journalist reports on all news stories within the football industry for
newspapers and magazines - from match reports to player interviews, fascinating
features to interesting statistics. They attend matches come rain or shine and have to
get their copy over to the editor seconds after the final whistle.
Key skills:
Writing, excellent spelling and punctuation
Engaging an audience through the written word
Strong interview techniques
Punctuality and ability to always meet deadlines
Main responsibilities:
Researching stories and finding the most interesting angles
Coming up with insightful questions for players and managers
Writing accurate, original and engrossing accounts of matches to deadline with
no mistakes – do you know the difference between there, their and they’re?
Working hours:
Working hours are flexible and vary depending on the sports news for the day.
However keep your weekends free as you will be at matches and be ready for late
nights to report on that breaking story in Australia.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will attend a Football League match with our sports journalist learning about
sports reporting and meeting deadlines. You will then put together your own match
report for national kids’ newspaper First News.
As the sports editor at First News, Ian has two pages of
sport to put together each week. The back page reports
general sports news, while the inside back page usually
includes interviews with sports stars or reports that First News readers have written.
Since Ian is the only person on the sports desk, he has to be able to cover everything
from darts and snooker through to gymnastics, football, skiing and wrestling.
Whether that’s reporting on the week’s major sports stories or interviewing David
Beckham, Ian covers the whole world of sport.
Ian started out in the media with a week of work experience at a men’s magazine,
but his first long-term job was as a music journalist on Smash Hits magazine,
interviewing everyone from Girls Aloud and McFly to Sean Paul and Jennifer Lopez.
Ian has been at First News ever since it launched in 2006, covering sport, science
and computer games.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE PRINT JOURNALIST:
1. Get some work experience. This is one of the most important things that
2.
3.
4.
5.
you could ever do in this business.
Know your audience. An adult football fanatic might be happy reading a
thousand-word story on the World Cup final, but if you’re writing for
ten-year-olds who might not all be massive fans, 75 words and brief
details would probably be enough.
Don’t waffle! You might think your fifty-word description of Wayne
Rooney’s face is very clever, but do you really need it in your report?
Check your facts and spellings. Your golf report might mention that
Graeme McDowell won the US Open last year, but do you spell it Graeme
or Graham? And was it definitely last year and not 2008?
Read your work back after you’ve finished it. It’s very easy to leave
mistakes or unfinished sentences in, when working to a deadline.
JOB TITLE: TV PRESENTER
TV PRESENTER
Venue: Football League Club Venue
Brief description:
The presenter is the face of the TV station, holding together a panel of opinionated
pundits and producing a show that will capture the imagination of their audience.
Match analysis is important, though often you are kick starting conversations and
adding coal to the fire when things dry up.
Key skills:
Communication
Witty and great sense of humour
A statistician’s brain
A genuine love of football
Ability to think on your feet and react – otherwise you’ll be featured again and
again on those football bloopers DVDs
Main responsibilities:
Kicking off a match and introducing main talking points
Enticing interesting discussions and courting controversy
Interviewing jubilant or irate players and managers
Researching players and clubs – people love bizarre statistics
Working hours:
Hours will depend on match days and key events in the football calendar. One
minute, you could be in freezing Hartlepool for a League 1 midweek encounter in
January, the next, soaking up the sun in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
The Winner’s Challenge:
You will spend two days with our TV presenter. On the first day you will visit a game
and watch the filming, learning the role before being set a challenge of coming
up with a new TV show segment. On your second day you will present your new
football segment that you have created, possibly interviewing the local players of
that team.
HOW YOU GET THERE:
Many dream of becoming a TV presenter from an early age.
Start off at school by joining drama schools, school plays
or local amateur acting groups. Maybe get some work
experience with your local TV station.
Then get applying to relevant courses at universities. Think
broadcast journalism, drama and performing arts or media based degrees. There are a
lot of opportunities at university to start building a fantastic CV such as student radio,
newspapers and magazines.
While postgraduate study isn’t essential, a qualification in broadcast journalism can
help and it will teach you the skills you need as a presenter as well as charisma. The
skills you will need to succeed as a TV presenter are excellent communication and
presenting skills, a clear voice, interesting appearance, a broad range of current affairs
interests, good research and interviewing skills and creativity.
Compile a DVD show reel that shows your ‘best clips.’ Most of all, get work
experience, as this will get you noticed. Another way to gain experience is to pay a
fee and have your details posted on websites that can help you find work. Finally,
you could consider signing with an agent.
TOP 5 TIPS FOR WANNABE TV PRESENTERS:
1. Get experience in whatever will help your CV and presenting skills.
School plays and local acting clubs, to student radio and TV.
2. Practice your delivery. Talk into a mirror, a tape recorder or to a friend to
make sure your delivery is clear but interesting.
3. Get creative. The more creative you are with your delivery and your
approach, the more you’ll get noticed.
4. Read the newspapers. An interest in the news, current affairs and a range
of topics means you could get hired in numerous roles.
5. Enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t make what you are presenting
exciting - so make sure you love the topic you are talking about.
NOTES AND IDEAS FOR MY JOB APPLICATION
The ‘What’s Your Goal?’ job placement I have chosen to apply for
My skills and knowledge that are relevant to this job:
My experiences that are relevant to this job:
My personal qualities that are relevant to this job:
What I find interesting about the job I’m applying for:
Make brief notes about your skills, knowledge, experiences and qualities that are relevant to the role you have chosen. Think about examples of
things you have done or achieved that illustrate your abilities and experiences so far as these will make your application stand out.
WHICH OF THESE CANDIDATES WOULD YOU SHORT-LIST?
JOB APPLICATION: SAM TAYLOR
JOB APPLICATION: SHAYA ROBINS
What skills can you bring to this job?
What skills can you bring to this job?
Footie is my life so I know a lot about it! It’s the coolest!! One of
my good points is that I am very determind; mangers get paid a lot
of money if they are good so it would be really good to follow a
manager for the day.
I am very hard working, focused and organised. A manager’s job is
anything but a 9 to 5 and I have such a passion for the game itself that
that does not bother me in the slightest. Being a fan of football means
I know personally what keeps fans happy and I believe that to be one
of the main jobs a manager should do. I am also a great listener and
good communicator and I believe these both to be key qualities that
managers need to have. I am keen, passionate and willing to learn.
What would it mean to you if you were successful
in this application?
What would it mean to you if you were successful
in this application?
Being a footie manager would be so cool! I don’t really like playing
football but I love watching it on the telle so I do know a lot about
it. Also, if I was a football manger I would get to meet some of my
favourite players like David Beckam and Peter Crouch and that
would be amazing.
I am more than just a fan of football, I have a passion for the game.
I watch football games at home and am constantly thinking why
didn’t the manager do this? Why didn’t the manager do that? To say it
would be a dream come true would definitely be an understatement.
I see being a football manager as a potential career and therefore
to gain such valuable experience from a real-life football manager
would be extremely useful. I promise that if I am selected I will use the
opportunity as a chance to really listen for some valuable advice.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THESE TWO APPLICATIONS?
How can you make your application better than both of them so that it stands out?