UCLan teams up with NC State

UCLan Sports Business Management and Marketing students and staff are set to visit one of the USA's leading research institutions.

In conjunction with colleagues from the university's Sports Studies programme, the group will spend a week at North Carolina State University as part of a new partnership agreement between UCLan and NC State.

Organised by Dr Sue Minten from UCLan and NC State's Assistant Professor Mike Edwards, the trip will provide students with the opportunity to broaden their horizons in an international learning environment.

The visit includes a series of lectures by staff from both universities, including Dr Jonathan Casper and Dr David Conner from NC State, and UCLan's Dr Ingrid Griffiths.

Students will also have the opportunity to volunteer at Bugg Elementary School, providing a useful grounding for those progressing onto PGDE courses next year.

A variety of activities have been planned during the trip, including a tour of the Carolina Panthers NFL stadium, a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and experiencing a live baseball game between Durham Bells and Charlotte Knights.

NC State is one of the USA's most respected universities and can boast a rich sporting tradition. Former students include PGA golfer Tim Clark and ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher. Jim Valvano (above) is perhaps their most iconic sporting figure, after leading NC State Wolfpack to the NCAA Basketball title in 1983.

Valvano went to work as a broadcaster for ESPN and ABC Sports, before famously delivering an inspirational speech at the ESPY Awards in 1993, just eight weeks before he died of metastatic cancer.

LFX North event boosts students' digital knowledge

Students and staff from our Master's programme recently attended a top UK conference for management and fitness professionals.

Didsbury's Waterside Hotel and Leisure Club was the venue for LFX North, which featured expert speakers from a range of companies including Everybody Leisure and Les Mills UK.

The event focused on digital media and its use in marketing and customer service situations within the respective industries. The group took part in a variety of sessions during the day, all designed to widen their knowledge of an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Our students said the conference had been a great opportunity to learn from industry professionals. Nathan Armstrong commented: "The event gave us the chance to network with people we otherwise wouldn't be able to meet, and I gained a better picture of what it would be like to work in the industry.

"The experience was extremely beneficial, as it cemented in place what field I want to try and get into, which has given me more reason to focus on my current studies."

Sarah Harradine added: "I loved the conference - it was very interactive with speakers whom I respected, and I also felt were respected by the other delegates. The presentations were relevant to my studies and took things like social media and put them into real-life situations.

"It also helped with the management of my own digital accounts and those I'm running as part of my work experience, showing I can be practical in the application of a relatively new element of marketing."

For more information about LFX please click here.

Lecturers to pen new book

Dr Ingrid Griffiths and Dr Sue Minten are set to co-author a new book for the world's leading academic publisher.

'Operations Management for Sport' has been approved for publication by Routledge as part of their 'Foundations of Sport Management' series.

By examining the management of operations in sport services and activities, the book will outline and explain essential theories and concepts of operations management to provide readers with a coherent and fundamental grounding in the discipline.

Dr Griffiths and Dr Minten will draw together the diverse range of research relating to sport operations management within one text, providing contemporary, global case studies in practice including sports facilities, events and competitions.

The book is scheduled to be published in January 2017. For more information about Routledge please click here.

Star athlete looks to the future

Top athlete Jenny Meadows' international career spans almost two decades, but despite having one eye on the future she shows no signs of slowing down just yet.

Jenny is the fastest 800m female athlete in the World indoors in 2015 and is currently preparing for the European Indoor Championships in Prague.

Later this year she heads off for the World Championships in Beijing, before beginning her build up to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Whilst that might be enough to keep most people occupied, Jenny is also undertaking a Master's in Sports Marketing and Business Management at UCLan, as she prepares for life after Athletics.

She commented: "During my career I've gained a useful insight into many aspects of the sports industry and have been privileged to gain first-hand experience working with a variety of key stakeholders.

"The daily demands of a professional athlete are in some ways very similar to being on a work placement scheme, as I'm gaining 'on-the-job' experience through my involvement with NGBs, local authority staff, sports development teams, sponsors, fans, sports agents, event management, corporate, media and production teams and sports regulators.

"This has ignited my interest in the field of Sports Marketing and Business Management and fuelled a desire to increase my theoretical knowledge to enable me to undertake a managerial career after my Athletics career is over."

Due to Jenny's training and competition schedule she is unable to attend UCLan campus. Course Leader, Dr Sue Minten, helps Jenny utilise the distance learning option available on the course, providing her with a recommended structure of study which Jenny tries to fit into her busy schedule.

"Obviously there is a degree of flexibility in this around the demands of my job, however I've found the pace of recommended learning very realistic," said Jenny.

"The combination of work and study has given me a new focus and has actually enhanced my passion for both as I can see the correlation between what I'm experiencing and what I'm studying in the course modules.

Jenny's husband, Trevor, is also currently studying at UCLan on the PG Dip Elite Coaching Practice course, and the pair are using each other's experiences to enhance their learning.

Jenny added: "We're finding plenty of common ground to discuss around the dining table, as well as both looking over our shoulder to see if we can benefit from any research or study notes that the other one is using.

"Having been an athlete for all my adult life, I'd always assumed I would dread the moment when I finally hang up my spikes, however through my studies at UCLan I'm looking forward to the next chapter of my professional life."

Graduate secures top golf management role

UCLan Sports Management graduate Tom Lynch has landed a top executive position as the regional Director of Golf for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.

Tom previously worked in a variety of roles for De Vere Group before taking up his new appointment, which gives him responsibility for Linden Hall in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders club Cardrona near Peebles.

The 28-year-old began playing golf 20 years ago at Stocksfield Club, Nothumberland, where he is still a member.

He said: "I don't feel I have been fast-tracked or anything like that. Anybody who works in golf will tell you it is labour-intensive and you either put in the hard yards or opportunities do not happen for you.

"My background is the joy of playing the sport I love – and enjoying a short spell of coaching in America just after leaving UCLan – followed by, if you like, the 'real world' of playing my part in helping to make sure De Vere operated successfully.

"Macdonald Hotels have offered me scope to develop both the operational standards and commercial side at a time when we are investing heavily in the two courses."

Tom started his working life at Slaley Hall in 2008, before becoming De Vere’s UK membership services manager, contributing to a massive rise in numbers nationally during the peak years of the De Vere Club boom, while still being based at Slaley.

Tom added: "My one main central workplace until now has been Slaley. I made good friends there and it was where I met my wife Vikki when she was working on the conference and events side of the business.

"I have fond memories of some great characters both on the staff and among the members. In some ways it was a wrench to leave, but this was far too good an opportunity to pass up."

Riku takes scenic route to Warriors

From Finland to Wigan, via Cyprus and Preston – it's a long journey, but one which helped programme graduate Riku Jokela secure an internship role with one of the UK's top sports clubs.

Whilst studying International Business at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK) in Finland, Riku joined an exchange programme to Cyprus which enabled him to add some Sports Business qualifications to his CV.

Riku said: "I realised the combination of sports and business would be a match made in heaven for me, as sports had always played an important role in my life.

"I applied for four Universities in the UK, but had the feeling that UCLan would be the best option for my Master's as the course focused on sports marketing.

"In addition, an active communication from the course leader played a pivotal role and I felt like I was really wanted on board. The course was fantastic with interesting modules which put emphasis on the fundamental aspects of sports marketing, professional development and strategic thinking for sports managers.

"The tutors were always there for us - whenever I had any questions they always had time to have a little chat with me. I particularly enjoyed the Consultancy Project module which enables students to make a difference in a real-life context.

"The course was really intensive and challenging, but eventually I was able to create a clear study plan which resulted in great academic results. I feel I became much more determined and disciplined, as I was also working at Wigan Warriors twice a week which was not always easy as I was a full-time student at the same time."

Riku has worked as a Marketing Coordinator for the Warriors since December 2013 and is currently overseeing a project which aims to enhance the value of season tickets. He is looking to establish partnerships with local businesses and is trying to find ways to reward Warriors' loyal season ticket holders.

He added: "I was honoured when I got an opportunity to work at one of the biggest sports club in England. Working here has given me a deep insight into what it actually takes to work at a big, successful sports organisation.

"It has been such a great experience to see how things are planned and carried out in practice. I've tried to learn as much as possible from my bosses and everyone who works at the Club. In addition, working at matchdays has opened my eyes in terms of seeing how many things are going on and how carefully Super League home matches are planned in advance.

"I hope I'm able to find a good job after having graduated from UCLan. The combination of my Master's and experience at Wigan Warriors will hopefully open many doors in the future. I'm constantly monitoring job prospects and I'm willing to go to work anywhere in the world. I'm convinced there might be some good opportunities for me in Finland, as you basically cannot study sports marketing there.

"I really enjoyed my Master's studies at UCLan. The campus is a really great one and there are some fantastic opportunities for students, such as UCLan Sports Arena or Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre."

Master's graduate progresses into senior teaching role

Our Master's programme provides a platform to a variety of careers in the Sports Management industry.

Catherine Elliott started her Master's soon after becoming a teacher, after realising she wanted to teach sport at a University.

She joined UCLan on a part-time basis, juggling a near full-time role at Preston's College with family life, but Catherine says her hard work has definitely paid off.

She commented: "There was a small cohort and we were really supportive of each other. I still keep in touch with a small group of friends I made at UCLan.

"The teaching staff were very helpful and understanding towards my work/life situation – they all provided excellent support and feedback and my writing and approach to coursework improved throughout the course.

"I even surprised myself by securing high grades in Economics and Sports Finance despite hating Maths! Sue Minton was my dissertation supervisor and was very supportive. I really struggled with trying to find the time to write, culminating in having to hide in Anglesey for a month on my summer holiday to get my dissertation written, but Sue was never more than a phone call away."

During her time on the course Catherine took part in a weekend visit to Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre, where she was able to see the practicalities of managing a large sporting facility which caters for several sports at an elite level.

After graduating, Catherine moved into programme leader roles in further education, before becoming Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). She has also just started her PhD researching volunteering in sport.

Catherine added: "I found the course to be really useful as it looked at the wider picture of Sports Management and I was able to link the coursework to case studies and real life situations at my place of work.

"It also enforced my opinion that as an academic member of staff we need to be involved with sport, so I volunteer at my daughters gymnastic club and at other events - the most recent being the Sainsbury's 2014 School Sport Games as a team attaché."