Building a Career On and Off the Pitch

Inside Simonita Bigaignon’s internship in Marketing & Communications at Estoril Praia.

For Simonita Bigaignon, football has always been about more than what happens on the pitch.

Now a student in the 17th edition of The FBA Professional Master in Football Business, she is preparing for a future in football beyond her playing career.

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, she moved to Portugal at the age of 18 after being scouted by SL Benfica. Alongside her sporting career, she became increasingly curious about the commercial and operational side of football.

Today, Simonita plays semi-professionally for Estrela da Amadora while continuing her studies at The FBA. As part of the programme, she recently completed an internship in Estoril Praia’s Marketing & Communications department, gaining first-hand experience of the commercial side of the game.

Returning to Estoril Praia, where she had previously been part of the club’s youth setup as a player, offered Simonita an entirely new perspective. It went beyond training sessions and matchdays, revealing the strategic, commercial and operational work that keeps a modern football club moving forward.

Seeing Football from a Different Perspective

Working within Estoril Praia’s Marketing & Communications department gave Simonita the opportunity to experience a side of football that many players rarely see first-hand.

From day one, she was welcomed into a collaborative environment where she quickly became part of the team. Rather than simply observing daily operations, she gained insight into how different departments work together to strengthen the club’s brand, support commercial objectives and engage with partners and supporters.

Looking back, Simonita says the level of trust she was given made all the difference:

“The most exciting and unexpected part of my experience has been the level of trust, responsibility and creative freedom I was given from the very beginning. Rather than feeling like a traditional internship where you’re simply observing, I genuinely felt integrated into the team and involved in meaningful work that contributed to the club’s objectives.”

Having previously known the club through its youth football environment, experiencing it from inside the organisation proved particularly valuable. It deepened her understanding of how football clubs operate beyond the pitch and highlighted the many professionals whose work contributes to success away from matchday.

Turning Ideas into Commercial Projects

One of the most rewarding aspects of Simonita’s internship was the opportunity to contribute to projects that delivered tangible value for the club.

Among her main responsibilities was the development of Estoril Praia’s Master Commercial Deck, a key document used to present the club’s commercial offering to current and prospective partners. Working on the project gave her valuable insight into how football organisations position themselves commercially, communicate their value proposition and support sponsorship opportunities.

Beyond that, Simonita also supported partnership-related initiatives, expanded her professional network and even had the opportunity to pitch a potential collaboration. Rather than observing from the sidelines, she became actively involved in projects that demonstrated how marketing and commercial strategy come together to create opportunities for a football club.

From the Classroom to the Club

For Simonita, one of the most valuable aspects of the internship was seeing concepts from the classroom come to life in a professional football club.

Working on commercial projects and interacting with different stakeholders allowed her to apply areas of knowledge explored throughout The FBA’s Professional Master, including stakeholder management, networking and partnership development. Rather than remaining theoretical concepts, they became practical tools that helped her contribute with greater confidence throughout the internship.

That connection between academic learning and real-world experience reinforced one of the programme’s core principles: preparing students not only to understand the football industry, but to operate within it. By experiencing the day-to-day reality of a professional club, Simonita gained a clearer understanding of how collaboration, communication and commercial thinking support football organisations beyond the pitch.

Reflecting on that experience, Simonita says:

“One of the biggest lessons I learned was that success in football business isn’t only about technical knowledge. Building trust, communicating effectively and adapting to different people and situations are just as important in a professional football environment.”

Growing Beyond the Comfort Zone

Like any experience in a new environment, the internship came with its own challenges. For Simonita, one of the biggest was communicating professionally in Portuguese. While she had already been living in the country for several years, working in a professional football environment required her to continue building confidence and adapting to new situations.

Looking back, the experience reinforced her ambition to build a long-term career in football business. Beyond the projects she contributed to and the practical skills she developed, the internship gave her a clearer understanding of the opportunities available across the industry and the value of gaining hands-on experience alongside academic learning.

As she continues both her studies at The FBA and her playing career with Estrela da Amadora, Simonita leaves Estoril Praia with a broader perspective of the football industry and another important step forward in her journey on and off the pitch.