Working in marketing for WSL: 'It's different every day'

Originally studying Architecture at university, Mikhela's lifelong love of football eventually saw her pivot her career goals towards working in sports marketing. She's gone on to land her dream job working in football for Women's Super League (WSL) as a marketing and content coordinator.

We all know and love football, but how do we take it to the next level?

Mikhela Treon on the power of marketing the sport.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing note that: "Sometimes people assume marketing is just about advertising or selling, but this isn’t the whole story… it is about understanding the competitive marketplace and ensuring you can tap into key trends, reaching consumers with the right product at the right price, place and time." Simply put, it means working out what customers want and need, and finding the best ways to deliver it.

Mikhela's role involves a variety of things: "It's different every day," she says. "Sometimes I'm liaising with clubs and working on their marketing plans for the season. Other times, I'll be working with our agencies to create ticketing assets."

Her role also involves content days, where she works directly with the players, helping them get their best photo shots for publicity of the season. On those days, Mikhela says her team's role is to "be the middle people between the photographers and the players and club staff and make sure everyone's happy."

• Loved football and playing sports from a very young age. Played tennis, footy, golf – you name it!
• Played football at Loughborough University, where she was studying a bachelor's degree in Architecture
• Realised she'd "missed a trick" when seeing other students studying Sports Science and Sports Management
• Completed a master's degree in Sports Marketing and Media, which she describes as being the "best of both worlds, being able to be creative but also business-minded"
• Did internships with athlete talent management agencies and sports marketing agencies
• Landed a job in football with Women's Super League.

Mikhela's role involves lots of communication, but this isn't something that's always come easily for her: "I was really shy when I was younger," she explains. "Playing football, my coaches used to say 'you're great at playing football and your skills are great, but we give you a really bad score for communication.'"

She says this feedback encouraged her to "be more vocal" and work on those skills. Now, she talks to lots of people on a daily basis, in person and through emails and phone calls.

Entry level roles in marketing like Mikhela's can have various job titles, such as marketing executive, digital marketing executive, marketing officer or online marketing officer. Although the term "executive" is often associated with more senior roles in the wider working world, in marketing it is used to describe an entry level (i.e. junior) role.

You can explore more about the different roles in marketing on the Prospects website.

What to expect if you want to be a marketing executive

• Marketing executive average salary: £23,000 (starter) to £50,000 (experienced) per year
• Marketing executive typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week

What qualifications do you need to be a marketing executive?

You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a T-level in Marketing or Digital Software Development), an apprenticeship or specialist courses run by private training organisations. Alternatively, you could apply to join a marketing department as an administrator or assistant and work your way up to this role, or apply directly to marketing executive roles if you already have relevant experience.

Sources: National Careers Service, GOV.UK

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the sources listed for the latest information.

For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).

Bitesize Careers, in partnership with The Open University, has launched the Follow Your Passion campaign, exploring how you can draw on your passions and interests to find your future jobs.

• Kick off: September 2026
• Focus: All things football!
• Discover more: To find more careers in football, click the link to the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion page.