Emily Mead, a third year Sports Development and Management student at the Bedford campus, was invited along to Luton Town FC’s thumping 5-0 win over Wrexham in the Skrill Premier (the fifth tier of English football) last Tuesday (25 February).

Emily was presented with her opportunity as part of the University’s partnership with Luton

Shadowing the club’s Press Officer, Andrew Barringer, Emily gained an insight into the varying roles Andrew and his team undertake pre-match – ranging from how the team news is distributed via Luton’s website and social media channels to a briefing on interview requests Andrew received from the attending media.

Watching the Hatters’ victory against Wrexham from the Kenilworth Road Press Box, Emily felt she learned a great deal from the experience.

“The enterprising and entrepreneurship module I am currently undertaking requires my team to target a company and discover the methods in which they communicate with their clientele – and how this can be improved,” said Emily, who lives in nearby Harlington.

“We selected Luton Town and I was particularly interested in how the club utilises their social media channels to interact with their fans.

“It was brilliant to acquire some first-hand experience and to have a close up view of how this is done by Andrew. I was really impressed with the content on Luton’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.”

The night concluded with Emily sitting in on post-match video interviews for the club’s website, conducted by Andrew with the Luton manager, John Still, and Town players, Ronnie Henry and Jake Howells.

Andrew, who’s also a lifelong fan of Luton, added: “We hope that Emily enjoyed her behind-the-scenes look at what we do at Kenilworth Road and can use the experience to good use in her studies and beyond.

“Luckily she saw the good side of the job. A 5-0 victory is a whole lot different to reacting to the aftermath of a draw or a defeat!

“We were happy to have Emily with us and we wish her well with the remainder of her studies.”