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Widener and Philadelphia Union Take High School Students Behind the Scenes of Working in Sports

Nicole Carrera, Assistant Director of Communications
A woman wearing a dark blue shirt speaks to a crowd. The back of peoples heads is visible in the foreground.
Dr. Angie Corbo talks about sports communications careers in the Union press room.

For the second year in a row, Widener and the Philadelphia Union hosted area high school students for a series of field trips to learn the ins and outs of working in the professional sports world.

Over the course of three days, nearly 120 students from three schools heard directly from Widener faculty and Union staff members on topics including hospitality and concessions, retail merchandising, sports communications and public relations, ticket sales, and more, all while taking a behind-the-scenes tour around the Union’s home of Subaru Park.

Students from Bishop Shanahan High School, Springfield High School, and Penncrest High School traversed the concourse, fan shop, corporate suites, press room, and even stood on the edge of the pitch to get a full picture of everything that leads up to the fan experience on gameday.

Union staff members shared about their day-to-day interactions with players and fans alike, and Widener faculty from sport and event management and communication studies programs spoke with students about all of the paths they can take in college to land a career in sports.

Union staff and Widener faculty all emphasized the importance of students building their network and gaining hands-on experience while they are still students, or just embarking on their careers.

“At Widener, experiential, hands-on learning is built into the curriculum and a great way to help students take what they learn in class and apply it to real-world situations,” said Jeff Lolli, interim associate dean for undergraduate programs and professor of sport and event management. “These experiences are also a great way for students to figure out which areas of a field align with their interests and which areas may not be as appealing.”

While the high school students who attended still have plenty of time to figure out their paths in life, getting this experience helped show them multiple career options in the sports field.

Hear what they had to say about their time at Subaru Park: 

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