The Richmond Kickers Pro Soccer Club, an independent USL League One team located in Richmond, Va., is accepting applications for an entry-level internship to gain experience working in Communications and Sports Information. This is a position for applicants seeking college credit during the Summer 2024 semester. The selected applicant(s) will report to the Director of Communications and Digital Media.
The internship start date is May 29 and the end date is August 10.
Position Summary
In this position, the individual will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in:
- Assisting as a media contact for the Richmond Kickers' first team and W League RVA first team
- Assisting in the storytelling and outbound marketing of the Kickers' and W League RVA organization
- Fielding incoming media inquiries
- Developing and maintaining relationships with a variety of media outlets
- Working closely with players, coaches, and front-office leadership to raise the profile of the club and its players
- Assisting in the operation of the organization's social media accounts
- Assisting in the creation of digital content to be used by other departments
Primary Duties of the Communications and Sports Information Department:
- Development, writing, editing, and distribution of a variety of club media materials, including match notes, fact sheets, pitches, player bios, and more
- Facilitating player media opportunities at training and games and maintain an organized schedule of those activities
- Create and capture compelling video content ranging from behind-the-scenes access at training to 1-on-1 player features
- Draft player signing press releases
- Serve as a stats and information resource to provide insights on player and team performance
- Update and maintain richmondkickers.com
- Support public relations strategies, marketing campaigns, and new club initiatives in a cross-functional capacity that includes collaboration with Marketing, Corporate Partnerships, Ticketing, and Operations
- Management of gameday media operations
- Attend all first-team home games and attend team training sessions; be available to work remotely on away games
- Actively contribute in meetings as a member of the creative team
- Maintain confidentiality
- Other duties as reasonably assigned by the Director of Communications and Digital Media
Qualifications
- Must be a college student pursuing a degree; a background in communications, public relations, or another area of study requiring writing skills is strongly desired
- Multilingual (Spanish preferred) abilities preferred but not required
- Basic knowledge of AP Style is preferred but not required
- Basic knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite is preferred but not required
- Basic knowledge of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook is preferred but not required
- Basic knowledge of CMS platforms like WordPress is preferred but not required
- Must have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection for any out-of-office work
- Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism within a professional sports environment
- Strong writing and computer skills
- Strong editing and proofreading required
- Ability to work independently and efficiently on a variety of time-sensitive projects
- High degree of integrity and discretion in dealing with sensitive subject matters
- Knowledge of sports/soccer is preferred, but not required
- Able to work well in a cross-functional team environment while maintaining a positive attitude
For consideration, all interested participants must submit a current resume and 2-3 writing samples.
The Richmond Kickers are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
