University of Delaware Sport Management Club students, along with Associate Professor of Sports Management Tim DeSchriver and Instructor of Sports Management John Allgood, participated in a field trip to New York City last month where the group spent the day visiting the New York City FC (NYCFC) and the National Hockey League (NHL) offices and meeting with various executives.
NYCFC staff members included Vice President of Business Intelligence Scott Lewis, as well as Business Development Associate Jordan DeBernardo and Human Resources Manager Melanie Cordovi, both UD alums. Senior Director of Global Partnerships George Dudas was one of the executives at the NHL who met with the group. Students also had time during the day to explore the city.
Professor Allgood shared some of his insights from the day with Lerner, as well as his feelings regarding field trips and their importance.
Lerner: Why do you feel it was important to take the Sport Management Club members on this trip?
Allgood: Experiential learning is an important aspect of a student’s experience. I focus on professional development and networking opportunities so students can understand how to be successful when starting their careers. I have a relationship with both NYCFC and the NHL and thought it would be a great opportunity to create a day trip to New York. There is no better way to harness skills than actually doing it in person.
The Sport Management Club did a great job of planning and executing the event. And thanks to Tim DeSchriver and Jennifer Riegner with the sports management program for their support.
Lerner: What specific activities did the group participate in during the day?
Allgood: NYCFC hosted us in their board room in their offices in Manhattan. NYCFC was very gracious to give each student a gift bag. NYCFC brought in speakers starting with Scott Lewis, their leader in business analytics. I should say Scott was a panelist at our sports business conference this past spring, and was amazing. Then he had UD alumni that work for NYCFC address the students about the reality of working in sports business. It was a great experiential learning experience because they were quite honest about the realities, especially for a high-profile franchise.
The visit to the NHL office was a different experience, but same lessons. NHL brought in high level speakers that focused on their marketing areas, and how they use demographics, special events, and how they grow the sport of hockey in the US and Canada. Focus was on analytics and strategy, as well as professional development. George Dudas really brought home how it all ties together. The students were able to sit in the same conference room that the commissioner holds meetings in. A great setting.
Lerner: What were some of your highlights from the trip?
Allgood: I was very proud of the students because it was a long trip: 5:30 AM report, dressed very professionally, long bus rides, and they were highly engaged in both sessions. This is one of the top sports business markets in the world and our students showed that they are elite. Our students and this program can compete with anyone in the country. It is all about seizing the opportunities that we will continue to offer in experiential learning and networking.
I offer much thanks to Scott Lewis with NYCFC and George Dudas with the NHL. They provided an amazing experience for our students. (It) all comes from real life lessons of networking and pouring into professional relationships.
Lerner also had the opportunity to talk with students William Fosbenner and Ryleigh Pineda about their experiences on the trip.
Lerner: What were some of your highlights from the trip?
Fosbenner: In the morning, we headed to the New York City FC offices in which we were able to hear from a number of different industry professionals, including UD alums, who talked about their experiences of working in soccer and provided advice to students. They were also generous enough to give us a bag of gifts which included a replica ring from their 2021 MLS Cup Championship and a NYCFC scarf as well. In the afternoon, we headed to the NHL offices and were able to get a ton of information about the various marketing efforts and partnership deals around the US and Canada, and how the league uses tons of data and feedback to put together these plans. At the end of the day at the NHL offices we were lucky enough to get a photo-op in front of the NYC skyline and the NHL logo.
Pineda: Having the opportunity to assist in planning the trip, the highlight for me was witnessing all of the hard work we put in pay off. It was truly rewarding seeing everyone show up, ask questions, and take a genuine interest in the experience.
Lerner: What was your favorite part of the trip?
Fosbenner: My favorite part of the trip was hearing from staff members in NHL’s partnership marketing and global partnerships departments to hear more about the partnerships between the league and various brands, and how their partnership activations are rolled out through various events, commercials and on-ice features during the season. I am personally looking to pursue a career in partnerships/sponsorship, so hearing from this department in particular was a memorable part of the trip and made me even more interested in learning more about the league/organization side of the sport partnership industry.
Pineda: My favorite part about the trip was being able to listen to so many seasoned professionals in the sport industry. Since we’re students who are trying to get our foot in the door, it was valuable hearing how they got to the positions they are now. I also loved that the trip was an opportunity for the students to bond with one another and meet new people within the major. It can be hard to meet people who aren’t in the same year as you, so I felt that this was a good opportunity to engage with everyone, regardless of year.
Lerner: What were some of the key takeaways or lessons heard from the staff members at the NHL and NYCFC?
Fosbenner: I think what made this trip so great was how we were really able to hear from all sides of sport business, from business analytics, marketing, HR, ticketing, finance, and partnerships. It really let everyone hear more about their passion within the industry. A key takeaway I heard from the professionals at NYCFC and NHL was the importance and value of networking. Almost every speaker talked about how networking and going above and beyond the simple application process is what got them to their roles today. Almost all of them also discussed keeping an open mind when it came to the job search process. Whether it is relocating, trying out a role in another industry, or exploring a different opportunity, the career path in sports is not always a straight line and it can be important to remember that.
Pineda: The overall takeaway that I learned from the guest speakers of the NHL and NYCFC is that everyone has a different path in the industry. It may seem like an obvious lesson, but it is important to remember that we all have different aspirations and goals to getting to where we want to be. I also learned that although there may be times where we compete against one another for jobs, we are also each other’s biggest networks and it is important to make meaningful connections.