A thrilling internship experience at Villarreal CF

By Luca Iaquinta

I was born in Germany but at the age of 5 my family moved to Italy. While growing up in a bilingual household I started to show interest for sports. I played football for 10 years and it taught me a lot about teamwork and leadership. My decision to leave the sport to pursue my studies did not affect my passion for the game. As a matter of fact, I am pursuing the International Sport Management bachelor program at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

My experience with Villarreal CF brought me closer to find the right place in the sports industry. Despite Covid-19, I was able to go to the office once per week and work within a multi-cultural team on various projects. From analysing and improving Villarreal’s official website to identifying the club’s brand perception of international broadcasters. The project that I worked on the most was to create a promotional video for the international academies, with the goal of sharing Villarreal’s values and identity.

In the middle of my internship experience, Villarreal CF became champions of the UEFA Europa League, defeating the well renowned football club Manchester United. I felt very proud and grateful to be part of ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ for their first ever major European trophy. Contributing to the club’s success was most likely one of the most memorable experiences that I ever had.

Special thanks to my supervisors Brandon Páramo and Lucy Goffe who gave me this opportunity to get an insight about how things are run in a top-level football club and have supported me throughout this great experience.