Mission

Hartford Athletic is Connecticut’s soccer franchise, with Men’s Professional and Women’s Pre-Professional teams competing in the United Soccer League. The Club strives to improve the game we love in the city we love and is committed to making Hartford and our surrounding community the best place to live, work, and play.

Overview

The Event and Promotions Intern plays a critical behind-the-scenes role in delivering a best-in-class gameday experience and promoting the Club throughout the community. Working directly with our mascot, Dillon, along with internal departments, and occasionally First Team players and external clients, interns will experience everything it takes to operate our mascot program, gamedays, and community appearances. Rotational tasks across the team office, stadium, and appearances provide a unique experience as interns serve as brand ambassadors for the Club and help build positive community outreach. This position reports to the Event and Promotions Supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Attend Men’s and Women’s First Team home matches, including friendly, preseason, regular season, tournament, and playoff matches, as well as STEM and Camp Days.

• Deliver gameday fan experiences such as, but not limited to, Play on the Pitch, Ball Kids, postgame on-field photos, halftime challenges, and the halftime t-shirt toss.

• Serve as a mascot handler for Dillon at home matches and community appearances, communicating with and on behalf of Dillon in a non-verbal environment.

• Provide crowd control for on-field post-match activations.

• Staff community appearances include watch parties, partner locations, stadium appearances, season ticket member events, sports tournaments, schools, professional and college sporting events, birthday parties, and occasional player appearances.

• Load, unload, set up, and break down at home matches and community appearances.

• Speak with guests at table and soccer activity locations to promote upcoming matches, players, team events, the Youth Academy, and stadium events.

• Capture photo and video content of Dillon at matches, appearances, and, as needed, in-person office hours. According to Club guidelines, submit your two best pieces of mascot social media content for each concept.

• Brainstorm and follow through on ideas for mascot social media content.

• Sign, inventory, and maintain mascot collateral; assist with regular mascot upkeep.

• Receive promotional materials such as fliers and cards, help plan their distribution, distribute them, and track and report distribution data.

• Keep availability current in the scheduling system and respond to schedule, email, and text updates by the stated deadline.

• Submit company-approved parking and mileage reimbursements in a timely manner.

• As needed: assisting with load out and in; transporting mascot and other supplies; restocking and assisting with inventory; monthly mascot upkeep.

• Assist other departments as needed and check out with the Event and Promotions Supervisor before leaving each shift.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of and interest in the sports industry.

• Charismatic, outgoing, and approachable, with an understanding of the Club and its values.

• Strong customer service skills and comfort interacting with fans of all ages.

• Strong communication skills, including communicating early and often about availability, questions, and comfort level with assigned tasks.

• Ability to work well as part of a team.

• Positive attitude and problem-solving approach.

Requirements

• Current undergraduate or graduate student seeking academic credit, or an individual willing to serve as a volunteer.

• Availability for the full semester for the majority of monthly synchronous opportunities home matchdays (schedule available at HartfordAthletic.com), community appearances, and in-person responsibilities; scheduling for every available date is not guaranteed. Remote office hours are asynchronous.

• Availability on weekdays and weekends between 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.; specific times vary by event because this is an on-call role, and a single event will not span these full hours.

• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions, with the understanding that this behind-the-scenes role provides limited opportunity to watch matches.

• Reliable transportation.

• Comfort working with and representing our mascot in a non-verbal environment.

• Ability to lift and carry up to 40 pounds, including boxes and event equipment.

Learning Opportunities

• Behind-the-scenes experience operating professional and pre-professional soccer gamedays and live events.

• Hands-on experience running a professional sports mascot program.

• Community relations and brand ambassador experience with schools, partners, and community organizations.

• Exposure to partnership activation and sports marketing.

• Mascot social media content creation for a professional sports brand.

• The opportunity to work alongside professional and pre-professional athletes and staff across multiple departments.

Benefits

Interns are eligible for the following:

• Parking and mileage reimbursement for company-approved off-site appearances and marketing outreach.

• Complimentary parking, water, post-match meal, and home match tickets.

• Merchandise discount.

• Brand Ambassador commission.

Undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in Sports Management, Marketing, Communications, Event Management, Business, or a related field are encouraged to apply, and academic credit may be available through the student’s college or university. Individuals not currently enrolled are welcome to apply as volunteers.

Hartford Athletic is an equal opportunity employer. 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 characteristic.