Graduated in 1999 in sports and leisure ... now IFA football development chief
Michael Boyd, director of football development with the IFA, is married to Cathy Whitla. They live in Belfast and have two daughters Rachel (5) and Olivia (3). He says:
I graduated in 1999 in sports and leisure studies from the then University of Ulster at Jordanstown. At the time it was a very small course with only 30 places. I picked it as it was sport-orientated and initially I thought I might want to become a PE teacher.
When I was in primary school I wanted to be a footballer and then as I got older I became very interested in RE and thought I might want to become a minister.
I still remember my graduation; it was a very special day and I’ll always treasure those memories. It took place at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast and my mum and brothers were there and everyone was very proud of me. I remember feeling delighted to have finished the course and my dissertation.
After I graduated I did a Masters in communication, PR and advertising and at the time toyed with the idea of becoming a sports journalist.
In the end, however, I did an eightmonth placement with the IFA and after that I knew I wanted to work in football. I was working and studying fulltime and it was full-on but I loved it.
The volunteering gave me an insight into the industry and also provided opportunities for me. I developed my own programmes and started up different schemes. At the time, I was also working part-time at the local Co-Op to earn some money.
After my placement, I applied for a job as a community relations officer and, looking back, I think I got the job as I had done the volunteering and they could see I was a hard worker and very determined to succeed. I am now in charge of over 72,000 young people and 70 full-time staff.
I do outreach programmes in society such as with Women’s Aid and also in prisons. I love my career and I feel it gives me a good work-life balance.
My wife Cathy has no interest in football so I completely switch off from my job when I go home — except at the minute, of course, when the World Cup is on.
My Masters prepared me for the type of work I do now as I did a lot of media training and also a mediation-type course.
Football was very fragmented when I started off but thankfully things have changed a lot. I’d also say that my academic career helped me to work on strategies such as Football For All.
The best advice I can give to new graduates is to get out there and volunteer.
And if you haven’t got a job to go to straight away, don’t panic. Volunteer in the industry you want to work in. It can open many doors for you and you can gain invaluable experience.
I got up every morning and got on a bus into town and then on to another bus up the Lisburn Road, often carrying a bag full of footballs, but it helped me get a foot in the door.
I had a staff conference recently and I got all the staff to stand up if they had been involved in volunteering — 64 out of 90 stood up which shows what can be achieved.
There are more jobs out there so it’s important not to panic about finding work as the right one will come along.
The IFA took a gamble on me as I was one of their first volunteers.
Now, the three major sports in the country all have volunteer development officers who can help place you in the right position.