Championship Match
The project where I was able to help with the Championship Match while working for Oakland County Football Club is a project that I will remember for the rest of my life. The Championship Match was a soccer match held at Clawson Park, Michigan. Where kids from all different ages that struggle with disabilities could come out and participate in this spectacular event that was hosted by OCFC. Prior to the match, participants were able to interact with the players for Oakland County FC. Being able to play soccer with these kids and see the joy and happiness on their face is what made this project worthwhile.
The preparation for this event was like the gameday operations process for any other sports event. Since my major is Sports Management and Sports Marketing, being able to manage and setup the event is something that will prepare me for my future carrier in the sports field. The interns were responsible for making sure that everything was set up prior to the event so we would not experience any problems. There was a live DJ that needed to be set up, as well as the food and merchandise stands. Everything needed to be done quickly and efficiently, time management was key.
Being organized as well as a leader has always been one of my talents. I like to be the individual that is given the most responsibility and is looked at as someone that can be relied on when big decisions arise. Being able to effectively organize the Championship Match was a task that I took tremendous pride in and was not going to let my manager down. I was also able to interact with the kids during and after the match, being able to put a smile on someone’s face is something that I have always been able to do. This was a very special day for the OCFC staff, and one that will stay with all of us for the rest of our lives.
Being organized as well as a leader has always been one of my talents. I like to be the individual that is given the most responsibility and is looked at as someone that can be relied on when big decisions arise. Being able to effectively organize the Championship Match was a task that I took tremendous pride in and was not going to let my manager down. I was also able to interact with the kids during and after the match, being able to put a smile on someone’s face is something that I have always been able to do. This was a very special day for the OCFC staff, and one that will stay with all of us for the rest of our lives.
Tati’s Futskills Academy Camp
Coaching is something that I have always had an interest in. I have always been fascinated in the idea of being able to coach your own team and players. The idea of implementing my own strategies and ideas intrigued me. When I first arrived at the camp I did not know what to expect or what each of the coaches were going to be responsible for. When I arrived, I was given a team that I would be responsible for coaching throughout the five-day camp. I ended up coaching the U-12 girls team from Oxford Soccer Club. From the start I knew that this was going to be a fantastic group to work with.
One thing that I want to focus on when teaching the girls during the camp was the importance of teamwork and sharing the ball. The most important quality to have in soccer is the knowledge to know when to pass the ball, or when to take the ball and go yourself. From the start, I had the respect from the girls, so it was easy to teach them and have them perform the way I wanted them too. Working with these girls during the camp made me realize that I may want to go into coaching sometime myself.
One thing that I want to focus on when teaching the girls during the camp was the importance of teamwork and sharing the ball. The most important quality to have in soccer is the knowledge to know when to pass the ball, or when to take the ball and go yourself. From the start, I had the respect from the girls, so it was easy to teach them and have them perform the way I wanted them too. Working with these girls during the camp made me realize that I may want to go into coaching sometime myself.
Another project event that I had the pleasure working for during my Oakland County FC internship was Tati’s Futskills Academy Camp held in my hometown Oxford, Michigan. This was a five-day camp that worked with the Oxford Soccer Club at all youth ages to improve their soccer skills and soccer knowledge. When I was given the opportunity to take part in this event I was very excited to get out there and start coaching these kids.
First Annual Futsal Fest
One of the most fun projects that I got to work on was the First Annual Futsal Fest. In the beginning of the summer of 2017, Oakland County FC had the pleasure to host to the First Annual Futsal Fest! Held at the Michigan Revolution FC Training Center. What was so awesome about having the opportunity to help with such an amazing event was that this was a week after I got hired as an intern for the club. It was awesome to be able to get involved with projects and events with a club after just recently getting hired. As a new intern my role within the event was nothing major. It was more a learning experience because I was able to job shadow my manager/ supervisor Nick Morana for the day.
Being able to job shadow Nick was very exciting and eye opening. I was able to see everything that goes into managing a big event. This day helped me out tremendously because I am very interested in going into the same field that Nick is already in. The Futsal Fest event offered several hours of soccer action, live DJ entertainment, tribal touch, an appearance from Nice Modern Creamers. Therefore, there was a lot of operations that needed to be done prior to getting this event up and running.
The day started off by the Oakland County staff arriving four hours prior to the start time of the event. We had to make sure that everything was set up and ready to go before everyone showed up. Since this was the first time this event is occurring, we did not know what to expect as far as attendance goes. We knew that there was going to be a decent number of fans in attendance because admission was free. The whole goal of the event was for people to come out and have a good time and watch some competitive futsal. I was able to network and speak to individuals that I will be able to stay in contact with that will help me down the road. It was an incredible experience that gave me a lot of knowledge that I was later able to use throughout the summer while working for Oakland County FC.
The day started off by the Oakland County staff arriving four hours prior to the start time of the event. We had to make sure that everything was set up and ready to go before everyone showed up. Since this was the first time this event is occurring, we did not know what to expect as far as attendance goes. We knew that there was going to be a decent number of fans in attendance because admission was free. The whole goal of the event was for people to come out and have a good time and watch some competitive futsal. I was able to network and speak to individuals that I will be able to stay in contact with that will help me down the road. It was an incredible experience that gave me a lot of knowledge that I was later able to use throughout the summer while working for Oakland County FC.