2014 SEASON (Spring/Summer) INTERNSHIP INFORMATION
Collegiate Summer Baseball at J.P. Riddle Stadium
Overview
The Fayetteville SwampDogs are seeking friendly, motivated team players for summer internships at “The Swamp”. Are you a people person? Do you have a passion for baseball? Are you a person of integrity with a good work ethic? Do you have a dream of working in sports? Then a summer internship with the Fayetteville SwampDogs may be for you!
As an intern with the SwampDogs you will receive a unique, well rounded experience to put yourself in a position to be successful in the sports industry. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows you to learn the operations side of summer collegiate baseball at it’s best for 28 regular season home games, plus exhibition games.
The Fayetteville SwampDogs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer league featuring teams in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The SwampDogs play at J.P. Riddle Stadium, a Fayetteville landmark, with 28 regular season home games during the summer season.
Intern responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, assisting with grassroots marketing, group sales, promotional efforts, on-field activities and many more incredible facets of summer baseball. Intern positions are offered for the 2014 summer from mid-May through mid-August.
The SwampDogs are looking for current undergraduate and graduate students in sport management, or related fields, that are serious about a career in professional or amateur team sports. If you are a successful candidate, you will get the opportunity to gain practical experience in multiple areas of team operations, including sales, marketing, promotions, stadium operations, ticketing, merchandising, media and public relations and management. You will be working with general manager Jeremy Aagard and assistant general manager Phillip Sims. Aagard was an Assistant General Manager in the Northwoods League for two years, and is entering his eighth year with the Dogs. Under Aagard’s leadership, the Dogs have been honored with the CPL Organization of the Year award in 2007 & 2011. Sims enters his second full time season after spending three seasons as an intern with the Dogs. What does this mean to a potential intern? It means that SwampDogs’ management understands what skills and experience are needed to succeed in this business. You will be challenged with a variety of responsibilities designed not only to ensure the success of the SwampDogs in 2014, but also to impress hiring officials with teams, leagues and organizations, in the future. It also assures you, upon successful completion of your internship, experienced mentors who can assist you with the advancement of your career.
This will not be your typical internship. The SwampDogs organization is committed to making our interns an integral and equal part of our operation. Considering our small staff, you will be relied upon to provide insight and to make decisions regarding all aspects of the operation. Your opinion will be solicited and your ideas will be welcomed. You will oversee a special area of responsibility that will permit you some autonomy in its operation, with guidance and support from the general manager, and will assist in group-oriented projects with your fellow interns. As an intern with the SwampDogs, you will work hard for a significant amount of hours during the summer, for very little compensation. (If money and free time are high priorities for you, it would be advisable that you consider pursuing a different career path.) Due to the importance of your role to the team, you will be expected to commit full-time throughout the 2014 season. Realistically, this type of internship is not for everyone, only those select individuals who are committed to career success in sport marketing or related fields. Please note, however, that you will not be asked to do anything that is not similarly expected of all members of the management team.
During the time you are an intern with the Fayetteville SwampDogs, you will experience first-hand all aspects of the operation of a baseball team. The practices of our organization closely resemble those of all minor league teams, and, on a smaller scale, most major league and intercollegiate sports organizations. The skills you will acquire will be easily transferable to any sports field in which you desire to work. At the end of your experience, you may feel that you worked harder in those few months than at any other time in your life. However, you will be rewarded with significant practical experience, the positive sensation of a successfully completed season and new friendships among your fellow staff members, ballpark employees and fans that will stay with you and be very beneficial to your future success.
Job Duties
General Responsibilities
All Interns will assist in the following areas:
· Promotional Nights. You will assist with implementation of promotional events at selected home games.
· Game Operations. You will assist in set up and operation for J.P. Riddle Stadium for each game night.
· Community Marketing. You will assist in grassroots marketing of the Fayetteville SwampDogs throughout the community, including: delivering pocket schedules and ticket information to area businesses, assisting with displays and information distribution at area events, supporting speaking engagements, and even performing as the team’s mascots, Fun-Go and Cookie.
· Administration Assistance. Yes, you will have to answer the phones, make copies, stuff programs with inserts, send out mailers, etc. However, with a small front office, we all have to do it, too.
· Other Operations. We have a philosophy that no one, from the general manager down to the batboys, is ever allowed to say, “That’s not my job.” There will be a variety of projects and tasks that will surface and we will all have to pitch in and get them done. These may often be jobs that a college-educated person would not expect to perform on a daily basis, but are necessary to our operation.
Group Projects
Interns will work together on a number of projects in 2014, for example:
· Group Ticket Sales. The SwampDogs offer various group packages including discounted tickets, pregame picnics, birthday parties, field-of-dreams little league promotion, etc and you will assist with the operation of this program. This sales experience will provide you with an important advantage over other full-time job seekers in the future. We are not going to just turn you loose without guidance.
Areas of Responsibilities
The following are general outlines and interns are not limited to this, but will gain experience in these areas:
Operations
Interns will assist in many aspects of stadium operations during the 2014 season. Some duties include; assisting with set up and operation of food service and catering, scheduling and supervising stadium employees, assisting with many team issues (including host families, travel, field maintenance, uniforms, etc.), assisting with game operations (including set up for sponsor displays and playground).
This part of the internship is a great opportunity to get a real understanding of how a sports facility operates. While J.P. Riddle Stadium is a smaller venue than a major league, major collegiate, or even a motorsports facility, its operation is very similar to these venues.
Promotions/Marketing
Interns will gain experience with in-game promotions and on-field entertainment while assisting in projects that enhance the marketing of the SwampDogs. Duties of the portion of the internship include supervising on-field contests and on-field entertainment, assisting with management of in-game atmosphere, including PA announcements, music, sound effects, etc., will also oversee player and mascot appearances, coordinate camps and similar projects and will take part in community relations projects.
Promotions, marketing and community relations are very important to sports organizations as a way to create a positive market image and create a more entertaining environment to attract fans. Because of that need, this enhances the experience for someone looking for a well-rounded experience in these areas.
Merchandising/Promotions
Interns will take part in the SwampDogs’ merchandising operation at J.P. Riddle Stadium, including all mail, phone and Internet orders. This part of the internships will be responsible for inventory, staffing, and all sales of SwampDogs’ merchandise, including; caps, T-shirts, novelties, scorecards, etc. Through this section of the industry, interns will learn to discuss sales trends, inventory, promotional ideas and other aspects of merchandising. In the area of promotions, this position will oversee all sponsored promotional events, primarily any premium giveaways.
Other Information
Start Date: Early May. We can be flexible based on school schedules, but interns should be available as soon as possible in May.
End Date: August 20, 2014
How to Apply
If you are serious about a career in the sports industry and are willing to make the commitment it takes to be successful, then send a cover letter, resume and three references (with at least one professional reference) to:
Fayetteville SwampDogs Baseball
Attn: Jeremy Aagard, General Manager
2823 Legion Rd
Fayetteville, NC 28306
Email: jeremy@goswampdogs.com
