In soccer, as in other areas of sports, internships can be critical to launching a successful career. These opportunities can last from several weeks to a full year. Below are key tips for landing a soccer internship, along with four specific ones that might be of interest.
Tips For Getting A Soccer Internship
Here is some advice on how to find and score an internship that can serve as a starting point for your future soccer jobs:
- Conduct research. Look into how some of the top soccer analysts, agents, and coaches climbed the ladder in the game. Also, write to sportswriters, agents, coaches, and department heads.
- Get started now. You want to get in touch well in advance, at least a few months before internship programs start (ideally longer).
- Demonstrate your benefit to their organization. Rather than just applying, include an online presentation or articles you’ve written on soccer.
- Get your professors and/or coaches to send in a reference letter. People holding sports jobs in management will respond well to recommendations from other professionals.
- Go to soccer conventions. You can meet people and network with decision-makers at sports industry conferences. Contact the conferences and inquire if they have discounted student pricing. You might even be able to get in for free with a press pass by covering the event for your school newspaper.
- Network online. You also want to do what you can to meet people through the Internet. Our free network is one valuable way to meet insiders with jobs in sports (see the bottom for a little more information).
4 Soccer Internship Positions
Soccer careers can build on skills you learn through entry-level internship roles. Here are details on four soccer internship opportunities:
General Internship: West Coast Soccer Club
There are internship positions in Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2021. You can focus within a specific department but will also need to contribute generally.
The intern will do the following:
- Come up with new ideas to build revenue;
- Research soccer industry best practices;
- Help with outreach and sponsorship sales; and
- Assist with promotions and marketing to bolster the brand.
Related Jobs
- Youth Soccer Coach
High School Coaching - Northeast Region
Soccer Coaching Internship: Northeast Athletics Camp
College students who are mature and flexible should apply for these opportunities to build their soccer careers. You should also have a background in either coaching or playing soccer.
You will coach the team and teach the players the core skills they will need for their positions. Along with managing practices, you will help the team get ready to play against teams from other camps – culminating in a tournament.
United Soccer Coaches (USC) Internship Program
You can either be in college or graduate school to qualify for this program. You will need to head to Kansas City, Missouri, to take advantage of these soccer internships.
Opportunities and benefits that interns access are as follows:
- Free USC diploma course, as desired;
- Collaborative projects;
- Exhilarating and enjoyable work climate;
- Educational seminars put on by each department;
- Interactions with affiliates and sponsors;
- Exposure to learning on the inside;
- Lunch, one-on-one, with USC’s CEO; and
- Office trips.
Throughout the period of the program, interns will receive a stipend for housing as needed in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Related Jobs
- Volleyball Coaching positons
High School Coaching - Northeast Region
USL Work Experience Program (UWEP)
To take advantage of this opportunity, you will need to live in Tampa, Florida.
You should be going to school at an accredited university or college — and you should have good grades. You also must be able to get academic credit for taking part in the program. Additionally, you should:
- Have a good understanding of the game of soccer, as well as sports in general;
- Be able to meet deadlines that sometimes become tighter;
- Be able to communicate well;
- Be well-organized, reliable, and analytically skilled; and
- Be skillful at working on a computer.
Participants in UWEP interact directly with league personnel and the teams within the United Soccer League through various projects. You will get to work with people with soccer jobs within various departments. However, you will also have a specific department for which most of your work is conducted – such as analytics, broadcasting, business development, club services, communications, digital services, or operations.
The Power of The Network
Do you want an internship to help you get sports jobs in soccer? At JobInSports.com, we offer a 100% FREE network of sports industry professionals. Join today to interact with decision-makers for these launchpads to exciting jobs in sports.
