Rodney Felder
MSc Sport Business, Management and Policy, 2021
About me
- Match Day Operations at New York City Football Club, USA
- Studied: MSc Sport Business, Management and Policy, 2021
- Contact me on LinkedIn
About my career
My decision to study at Manchester Met was an opportunity that I completely fell upon by mistake. I originally came to Manchester in January 2019 to play lacrosse for a local sports club, Timperley Sports Club. During those first few months, I met a good friend who was, at the time, a current Manchester Met student and a member of the Men’s Lacrosse team. He introduced me to a programme called “Lacrosse the Pond,” which helps former American university lacrosse student-athletes pursue a Master’s degree in England. The opportunity to study sport in a vibrant European city, home to two of the biggest sports organisations in the world, was too good to pass up.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I kept busy with part-time jobs in restaurants, retail shops, and coaching lacrosse. In the autumn of 2022, I accepted a position as a Graduate Business Development Executive at Sedulo, a world-class financial services firm. I secured this role through LinkedIn during a period of active job searching.
In my current role in Match Day Operations for NYCFC, I have the opportunity to work across multiple departments related to Game Day Events. My main responsibility on game days is to supervise the mascot kids, ensuring their safety and enjoyment from the moment they are dropped off by their parents to the time they are returned. This role allows me to directly impact the experience of the children and their families at an NYCFC game, a responsibility I take great pride in. Additionally, I am involved in the operational setup of the stadium on game days, from preparing the locker rooms to ensuring the goals are properly strung. Since NYCFC will not have an official home stadium until the 2027 season, we essentially have to load everything onto four trucks and unload it before and after each game. I perform this role across four venues: Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Belson Stadium (St. John’s), and Icahn Stadium. This experience has given me the opportunity to communicate with over 50 operational staff across four different sports entities.
The most valuable skill I’ve gained at Manchester Met is the ability to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously. During my time at Manchester Met, there was not a day I did not have something to do. Balancing university work, earning money through part-time jobs, and playing lacrosse at a competitive level in two leagues was challenging, but it was not entirely new to me. The skill I have relied on most in my career so far is the ability to communicate and work with people from all walks of life. Living, studying, and working in Manchester, you quickly notice that it is a very diverse city with multiple cultures. Moreover, I highly recommend taking advantage of the student hub and career services, as these resources were crucial to my success at Manchester Met.
My top tip for students
If you aspire to work in big-time sports, like me, the most important advice I can give is to connect and stay connected with people already in the industry. The older you get, the harder it becomes to break into the sports world. Every job is an opportunity to network, as you never know when someone might be looking to hire.
I’m inspired by
The passion to be great at what I do and to be remembered for the lasting impact I make in the sports business. The fact that I rarely see people who look like me in the positions I aspire to is an internal flame that inspires me.
Why I love Manchester Met
For once, I was the foreign student, stepping out of my comfort zone. Having lived in multiple places in the USA and thrived in each, including Manchester, is a testament to the fact that with hard work and determination, anything can be accomplished.