I have always had the ambition to work at a club level and especially at my dream club: AFC Ajax. Due to my previous job I saw a clear opportunity and didn’t hesitate to take it – With positive results!
My internship’s program consisted of two main phases: 6 weeks in one department and 6 weeks in another department.
During the first period, I was given the chance to work on Match Operations. This involved supporting the day-to-day operation of hospitality partnerships within AFC Ajax. The tasks also covered Ajax matches and preparations for European away games. In doing so and being on-the ground, I saw up close how relationships with partners are maintained and how all the process worked, and I got to know many people within the industry. If I had to identify some highlights of this period, I’d definitely say the Champions League matches. As I see it, a special experience that you cannot see anywhere else but at a football club, and certainly at a football club like AFC Ajax!
The second part of my internship was all about Strategy. I was instructed to carry out studies and, in the process, express an opinion on them, which made me feel valued. The period took place during the World Cup in Qatar and one of the studies I did was on the situation in the country and whether that could or not affect football clubs like Ajax. These investigations ‘forced’ me to look at the World Cup differently, with a different lens and perspective. I would describe them as challenging and above all very interesting.
This project allowed me to be in touch with many managers within the club and be appointed to develop a dashboard with different stakeholders, and dig into the matter with updates on media value on a weekly basis. An assignment that was very challenging. It gave me the opportunity to see and talk to other departments within Ajax in addition to my own!
These past months have been insanely great, a period of my life I will always remember and repeat it in a heartbeat.
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Jaap is a 10th Edition Candidate of The FBA’s Professional Master in Football Business. Reach out to him via LinkedIn.