General Internship

Orange County Soccer Club General Internship Opportunities

The 2021 USL Championship Champion, Orange County Soccer Club, is looking for energetic, outgoing and passionate individuals to help us build brand awareness through marketing and promotion, assist with sponsorship sales efforts and local community outreach, help create the home game day experience, research sports industry best practices and generate innovative ideas for revenue growth. Interns may focus on one of the below categories per their interests, but will be expected to pitch in as needed in all of the above. Internships are currently available for Winter 2021 and Spring 2022 and are for academic credit. Interns will be required to perform some or all tasks in person, with prevailing health and safety protocols in place.

1) MARKETING/PROMOTIONS

Objective:

Orange County Soccer Club's Marketing and Promotions Team has two main goals: 1) Promote OCSC and establish brand awareness in the community, and 2) Gather information on customers and track potential new leads.

The OCSC Marketing and Promotions Team serves as brand ambassadors to engage with fans and promote OCSC at community events and home games at The Great Park.

Duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

Marketing

• Assist in researching new events around the OC area for potential involvement and add to Marketing Calendar.


• Assist in ideas and or campaigns to help drive engagement on our social media channels.


• Research what other professional sports teams are doing for ticket specials, social media, marketing, etc. and come up with a running list of best practices to assist our organization.


• Take pictures and share with Social Media Manager for the purpose of distributing through social channels.

Promotions

• Engage current and prospective fans of the Orange County Soccer Club in a professional and positive manner through various promotions, virtual events, watch parties, and marketing efforts.


• Generate excitement for OCSC by being positive and knowledgeable about the organization and brand.


• Interact and communicate with individuals and large groups to generate potential leads by gathering customer information via email sign-ups and customer "enter to win" cards (in-person interactions are subject to current health regulations).


• Write post-event recaps.

2) TICKET AND SPONSORSHIP SALES AND ACTIVATION

Objective:

Orange County Soccer Club's Sales Team focuses on driving revenue growth through ticket and sponsorship sales. With an emphasis on season ticket sales packages and multi-year sponsorship deals, this department is responsible for long-term revenue growth strategies.

Duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assist in collecting examples of various sponsor assets by reviewing game film, social media posts, email campaigns, etc.


• Research various business industries and compile lists of companies and key contacts within those industries


• Research various SoCal organizations such as youth sports leagues and teams; school clubs and PTAs, etc.


• Assist in planning theme nights and ticket initiatives by contributing ideas and compiling outlines and overviews for various projects

3) HOME GAME DAY EXPERIENCE (typically March-November)

Objective: Orange County Soccer Club's home games take place at the beautiful Championship Soccer Stadium at the Great Park in Irvine. On home game days, we transform an empty stadium into an impressive game day experience for OCSC fans. Interns will help OCSC staff create this experience.

Duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assisting with set up and tear down on home game days.


• Generating new ideas for in-stadium fan engagement.


• Helping to create a smooth operational flow during games.

4) OCSC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Objective: The Orange County Soccer Club Community Foundation is the charitable arm of Orange County Soccer Club. We are a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2020 to serve the greater OC community. Our mission: To use soccer as a vehicle to promote health and wellness, develop youth leadership, advance social change, and create positive community impact. Interns will help us build our presence in the OC community through outreach, partnerships with other nonprofits, events and program initiatives.

Duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

Community Outreach

• Assist in creating a multicultural outreach strategy to different communities within Orange County.


• Devise outreach strategies for elementary, middle and high schools throughout Orange County.


• Execute and monitor virtual and live community programs (e.g. soccer clinics and classes).


• Identify key nonprofits and organizations to work with in Orange County in order to strengthen ties to the community and identify new short-term and long-term initiatives to partner on.

Events

• Help to plan and organize virtual fundraising events, online silent auctions, Donate Now campaigns, and others. Help to plan live events when deemed safe to do so.

General Intern Requirements

• Enthusiastic, creative, hard-working, organized and outgoing


• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)


• Strong communication skills both verbal and written


• Able to work in a team environment


• Must be a self-starter and comfortable doing online research


• Must be well organized with an eye for detail


• Must be able to work flexible hours (including evenings, weekends, and holidays)


• Experience with event production/promotions/game presentation is a plus


• Local market knowledge is a plus


• Experience in Photoshop or other programs with ability to create basic graphics is a major PLUS

About Orange County Soccer Club:

• Orange County Soccer Club is a professionalsoccer team in the United Soccer League (USL) and the highest level of pro soccer in Orange County.
  • The USL Championship is the world's largest Division II professional soccer league, with representation in 35 markets across the U.S. and one division below the MLS.
  • Some teams in the USL are owned by MLS clubs and players can be moved up and down from the MLS side. Many teams in the USL (like OCSC) are privately owned and are independent of any MLS teams.


• Games are played at the new Championship Soccer Stadium at the Orange County Great Park.
  • Championship Soccer Stadium is a professional soccer facility that opened in 2017.
  • The 2018 season was the club's first full season playing at the 5,000+ seat capacity stadium.
  • The stadium has played host to USL, MLS, Liga MX, and TJ League team exhibitions.


• Club Achievements
  • 2021 USL Championship Champions.
  • Premiered "Path to Glory" docuseries on CBS Sports Network, highlighting the groundbreaking partnership between OCSC and European powerhouse Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League (2020).
  • Transferred Aaron Cervantes to Glasgow Rangers (2020). Aaron (age 18) signed with OCSC at the age of 15. Cervantes was a member of the U17 Men's National Team (2019) and part of USL's 20 under 20 list.
  • Executed first ever player move from USL to the German Bundesliga with Bryang Kayo (2020).
  • Announced first ever local TV Broadcast Partnership with COX and Spanish Radio Broadcast Partnership with Tu Liga 1120 AM KTMZ (2020).
  • Launched Orange County Soccer Club Community Foundation (2020).
  • OCSC's 14-year-old phenom Francis Jacobs competed with Glasgow Rangers' U16 Academy Team in Alkass International Cup (2020).
  • 2016 and 2018 USL Western Conference Finalist.
  • Signed 16-year-old US U-17 International Kobe Henry (2020).
  • Signed Sean "Ugo" Okoli, former USL 2016 MVP with Cincinnati (2020).
  • Announced strategic partnership with Scotland-based Rangers Football Club (2019).
  • Signed youngest pro soccer player in U.S. history Francis Jacobs (2019).
  • Signed U.S. U-17 International, Diego Lopez (2019) from Atlanta United.
  • Signed Michael Orozco, former member of the U.S. Men's National Team and Liga MX stalwart (2019).
  • Re-signed Thomas Enevoldsen (2019), 2018 USL Championship All-League First Team member.


• Social Media Handles
  • IG: @orangecountysoccer
  • FB: @orangecountysoccer
  • Twitter: @orangecountysc
  • TikTok: @orangecountysc

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.