Students team-up to takeover the Cobblers

Students from the University of Northampton have scored invaluable industry insights from behind-the-pitch at their local football club.

The first four of twenty undergraduates from various degree courses visited Northampton Town Football Club on Saturday 23 November, when the club hosted League One tough competitors Cambridge United FC.

After spending two weeks working shadowing staff and supporting with practical tasks, the students attended matchday at Sixfields stadium to assist staff and see the club in action as part of the University’s annual takeover day.

Their duties included looking after corporate guests, helping the club’s commercial department, assisting the stadium manager and producing photographs and video content for the club’s media department.

When the whistle blew on matchday, with nearly 6,700 home and away fans in attendance, the students spoke with representatives from security, commercial and management – as well as the club’s beloved mascot, Clarence the Dragon.

One of the students excited to bag a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at NTFC was Joshua Borode, studying Sports Management and Leadership: “It was a really good experience for me to get involved in the NTFC takeover placement where me and students on other courses had the opportunity to perceive what it’s like working behind the scenes at a football club, both on and off matchday.

“I spent two weeks working in a variety of roles including Marketing & Commercial, learning how to create tickets for games, community and media. After speaking with NTFC’s Female Football Development Officer & Senior Education And Sport Mentor Joe Gaskell, Schools Manager Lorna Stockwell, Women’s and Girls Development Manager Scott Loughran, and Operations Manager Simon Collins.

“Through networking with NTFC representatives, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of community and attempting to drive social change and enhancing community engagement through football.

“Working with the Commercial and Marketing Team further offered me the chance to understand the importance of thinking strategically and creatively in order to make impactful decisions.”

Scott Bradley, Head of Science at the University and partner liaison with Northampton Town Football Club, adds: “We are grateful to Northampton Town FC for providing this wonderful opportunity for our students.

“Working in partnership with the Cobblers in this way allows our students to gain valuable experience in what it is like to work in the sports industry and experience the buzz of a match day. It will help them to develop their employability skills and understanding of how the club’s operations drive social change and deliver impact.

“Our next teams of students are eagerly waiting in the wings to take on the next matchdays in January and February 2025 and embrace this unique and insightful experience with our industry partner.”

The University has been the club’s principal partner since 2013, when it became the Cobblers’ main shirt sponsor, and proudly celebrated their ten-year anniversary last year.

The partnership means much more than shirt sponsorship. This is a deep-rooted partnership that has seen the club benefit from the expertise the University has and in turn, the students have had the very sought after opportunities of internships, work experience and careers in professional football.

After supporting with this first takeover day, sixteen additional students are lacing their boots up and preparing to follow-in the footsteps to takeover Northampton Town Football Club’s upcoming home games, NTFC v Wrexham on 15 February and NTFC v Birmingham City on 15 March.