The Dayton Dutch Lions FC is proud to announce a new strategic internship partnership with the University of Dayton.
Starting this fall semester at the University of Dayton, Sport Management students will have the opportunity to take part in a new internship program. The goal of this initiative is to expose students to the basics of how a professional sports franchise and academy is managed on a day-to-day basis.
Dutch Lions FC General Manager Koen Driessen had this to say about the new partnership:
“We’re very excited about our new partnership with the University of Dayton and we would like to thank in specific Professor Zachary Sanford and Dr. Corinne Daprano – Health and Sport Science Department Chair for making this happen. The opportunity to work with the Sport Management students is a win-win situation! On one end, we as an organization are always looking for passionate, pro-active students that want to work in the challenging world of sports and on the other end we create a potential job for students.”
One of the most successful ways for young professionals to learn, is by actively engaging hands on in and out of the classroom. The idea behind this partnership is to give students a “real life experience” before they graduate. That’s why we will let them perform real work tasks. We want them to face challenges and turn those challenges into opportunities.
“This is a great opportunity for students in our soccer course to put some of the knowledge they gain about the global game to use on a local level,” said Business of Soccer professor Zachary Sanford. “We hope to continue a mutually beneficial relationship with the club in years to come.”
The class will be divided in groups, with every group planning one doubleheader for the upcoming Dutch Lions PDL and W-League Seasons. This includes tasks such as marketing, ticket sales, all the way up to gameday operations. Working with University of Dayton faculty, the students will present a plan after three months, where the students will be evaluated and the Dutch Lions FC, as an organization, can make decisions on which ideas can be executed during the USL PDL and W-League seasons.
With supervision from the UD professors and Dutch Lions staff, those students who show excellent ideas and passion for their work will have the opportunity to work for the Dutch Lions FC over the course of the upcoming summer.
