Insight Student Review

I really enjoyed my three weeks at the Football Foundation - I learnt a lot about how grassroots football interacts with all other stages of football up to the professional game. Grassroots football has been hit by funding cuts in recent years, and so they work on helping grassroots bodies to mitigate against these cuts.

I was highly valued at the Football Foundation, coming from a football mad background. The organisation paid for me to cover my expenses and gave me some great opportunities to work with some very big names, including Greg Clarke (the chairman), some professional academy coaches and the media (including Greg Dyke).

I received a lot of guidance and support during the insight - this mainly pertained to helping me to decide what kind of career path I want to go down. Football is an industry where there is a diverse set of jobs available outside of playing - from coaching to journalism and I was given support in making an informed decision.

I received a lot of support and contacts to help me to break into the football journalism industry pathway that I have since decided to pursue. It did not help me very much in my studies except for the fact that I had a job lined up for before I graduated so that the pressure was off me during final year.

The insight was well structured - as an insight student there was a mixture of both ad hoc and more scheduled events during my three weeks, but they were all designed to maximise my satisfaction from my experience there. The only issue I had was that some days I would turn up to work without knowing exactly who Id be working with.

There was a great atmosphere - the Football Foundation is an organisation which operates with very little bureaucracy, and this is reflected in the way that they operate. There is not the usual office politics associated with organisations such as the FA, and all staff members have an amicable relationship with each other.

There was not so much training as such but plenty of room for development. While at the Football Foundation, I was encouraged to ask questions to all key stakeholders I came into contact with about breaking into the football industry. There was also plenty of help with securing placements with partner organisations.

The insight was a good chance for me to see how the Football Foundation operate on a practical level. I feel as though I did not necessarily receive a completely accurate picture of what the work involved, but this is partly due to the ad hoc nature of many of the projects the Football Foundation works on.

It was a great insight into the organisation's culture. I get a real sense that the Football Foundation want to bridge the gap between grassroots and professional football by fostering cooperation and not competition. This is something that is not seen in all bodies, and is something I confide in myself.

The role was great in helping me to decide that I would like to pursue a career in football journalism. It gave me a great understanding off all of the major stakeholders in football. Moreover, there were a few talks with different organisations who help young people to make a career in football.