(4.8)·By Tim N·Other· Oct 2018 I graduated from UCFB in July 2014, after spending 3 years as part of the inaugural UCFB class at Turf Moor stadium in Burnley.
Before I applied for UCFB I had no ambition to attend university, and very little prospects entering the world of work aged 18. Almost 4 years later, I find myself 2 months into my second job as a graduate, writing this review from the USA.
I studied the Football Business and Media course, which encapsulated all aspects of a traditional business degree course and related every module, assignment and exam to my passion: football. I was party to fantastic guest speakers and lecturers, including Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson, ex-Liverpool player turned Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, professional football agent Skye Andrews amongst a host of other incredible industry professionals.
The setting of the university - in one of the oldest professional football stadia in the world - was a major drawing point for me, offering me a location and course that I knew I would remain fully committed to along with learning so much about football as an industry instead of as a spectators sport.
The university sets you up with a fantastic platform to network in, with regular work experience and internship opportunities at excellent companies. During my time at UCFB, I secured placements with the BBC on 2 separate occasions; with the Scottish Professional Football League; the Rugby League World Cup, along with paid roles within Burnley FC. These placements also gave me the confidence to obtain my own internships and jobs, most notably as a media intern at Scunthorpe United, and as a security guard with G4S, where I worked on many high profile sporting events such as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, the Silverstone F1 Grand Prix, The Ashes, The Open Golf, and at every Burnley FC home game of their 2013-14 season which saw them promoted to the Premier League.
I conducted my dissertation research project on 'The Impact of Sky Sports on the Premier League from a non-monetary