Sport Management Major Takes His Shot at Summer Internship

At Dean College, all students working towards a bachelor’s degree complete an internship – and quite a few of them are participating in internships this summer.

Kyle Perry ’25, a Sport Management major at Dean, is interning this summer for the New England Revolution as a Game Day Sales and Service Coordinator. We caught up with him to find out more about his experience.

Q: What is a typical day like at your internship?

My primary responsibilities revolve around providing customer service and hospitality to New England Revolution’s game day fans. Some of the tasks I’ve done include:

• answering fans’ questions about their seats;
• helping fans with their tickets at ticket gates;
• working up in the lighthouse and interacting with the fans who are visiting it;
• after the game, I sometimes get to do fun jobs like postgame shots on the net where little kids can shoot around the soccer field afterward; and
• helping to break down and put away tents, tables and signs around the stadium after the game.

Q: How has your Dean experience helped to prepare you for your internship?

I was able to prepare for my internship through the help of my professors at Dean, such as Dr. Patrick Leary and Professor William Gillespie. I’ve learned that to be successful in the sports industry, you need experience and skills. You can be the biggest sports fan in the world, but that doesn't qualify you for a job in the sports industry. What I learned from Professor Gillespie is the more experience the better and take opportunities that will make your resume look appealing.

Also, in the spring semester of 2024, I was a part of Dr. Leary’s Special Topics in Sport Management class, where we worked directly with marketing execs from Kraft Sports & Entertainment (KSE) through Dean’s exclusive academic partnership. We did many different projects for KSE, but my favorite was finding new strategies to grow the New England Revolution’s fan base during the much-anticipated Revs vs. Inter Miami game in which Lionel Messi played. During our presentation pitch, my team suggested ideas such as a fan survey QR code during halftime on the jumbotron and a memorable game scarf for the first for the 10,000 fans of the game. During the game, I realized that the New England Revolution used our ideas. It was such a cool moment for me to see our marketing ideas come to life in a crowd of over 65,000 fans.

During that class, I also got the opportunity to work at the Patriot’s draft party with my classmates. Not only that, I also got to meet former and current Patriots players and cheerleaders. At Dean, the opportunities are endless for hands-on experience and networking. And I thank Dr. Leary, Prof. Gillespie and Dean College for their guidance throughout my college journey.

Q: How is your internship helping prepare you for your future career?

Through my internship experience, I have been exposed to fan events, game day operations, ticketing, crowd management and many different opportunities within the stadium. There is never a dull moment working for the New England Revolution. The internship also helped me develop skills such as event management, customer service, marketing and critical thinking which are all crucial in the sports industry.

Building relationships and networking with co-workers is fun, plus I get to learn from them. The more experience I gain, the better opportunities I have for applying for different positions either at the Revolution or a different organization. Feedback from supervisors and colleagues has also helped me improve my performance and develop my skills.

The best part of this internship is the real-world scenarios and better understanding of what to expect in my future career. By gaining these experiences and building a network through the internship, I will be well prepared to pursue a potential job at Gillette Stadium since I have acquired the knowledge, skills, and connections necessary for success in the sports industry.