This week, we welcomed 4 of Portsmouth FC’s Academy Graduates for work experience in an environment different to their usual setting. Spencer, Gabriel, Elliot and Jamie spent 4 days in a variety of roles including Account Management, Finance and Marketing as well as Recruitment with our friends at Dawson Levy Resourcing.
Portsmouth FC, along with the other clubs in the English Premier and Football Leagues, are committed to providing their academy players the experience and knowledge required for a career outside of playing football. This can include football-based roles like coaching and scouting but also with companies outside of football. That’s where we came in.
Our partnership with Pompey has given us the opportunity to host Academy players aged 16-18 for work experience at our office in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. The recent academy graduates spent time learning about Account Management, Finance and Marketing at Resolve. There was also an opportunity for them to get an insight into recruitment, with two representatives from Dawson Levy joining us for the 4-day experience.
Academy Graduate Spencer, pictured below, said “I’ve learnt a variety of different things including how tax returns work, as well as content creation and video editing.”
Gabriel, who has just signed a loan deal for local non-league side Baffins-Milton Rovers, said “it’s been great to learn how a business like Resolve works.” Elliot, who is currently loaned to Brockenhurst FC, said “getting a better understanding of different roles and opportunities is really important for us at this stage of our career.”
Less than 30% of academy players go on to sign a professional contract, with a lot of players not knowing their next step after football. We’re hoping that providing work experience to players in academy settings provides a clearer view of what is possible outside of the football world.
We’re going to be providing work experience to PFC’s Academy regularly, and will hopefully continue to provide opportunities for learning and development at Resolve.