The Charger Blog
A group of Chargers recently played key roles in the inaugural TST Ӱԭ The Soccer Tournament Ӱԭ a $1 million winner-take-all event organized in large part by a University alum.
July 17, 2023
For Ian Sacci Ӱԭ24, the biggest takeaway from interning at , the inaugural 32-team, four-day $1 million winner-take-all international competition, was that when it comes to orchestrating a major sporting event, you have to be ready for everything.
Sacci was one of eight University of New Haven Sport Management students who handled player and guest relations for the tournament which drew more than 20,000 people to the finals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, in early June.
It was a high-stakes, first-of-its-kind tournament, with professional and amateur teams featuring former U.S menӰԭs national team players Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, former U.S. WomenӰԭs World Cup champions Heather OӰԭReilly and Kristine Lilly Heavy, coached by soccer legend Mia Hamm, as well as players from West Ham United F.C., teams from Tel Aviv and the Philippines, and teams with college standouts.
ӰԭSpending this time with the coaches and players was an experience I will never forget,Ӱԭ said Megan Sullivan Ӱԭ24. ӰԭIt was critical that I made sure they arrived at their assigned fields, whether to practice or a for a game, on time.Ӱԭ
She also came to understand Ӱԭthe significant effort that is expended in the back-end things that need to occur for an event to run seamlessly and effectively.Ӱԭ
The internship opportunity came about when Kelly Quigley Ӱԭ18, manager of marketing and events at TST, reached out to Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D., associate professor, and chair of Sport Management.
The soccer tournament was started by the same group that created the popular TBT: The Basketball Tournament 10 years ago. When they decided to create TST, company executives recruited Quigley to help launch it. She knew she wanted to get University of New Haven students involved.
ӰԭIn the Sport Management department every class I was part of would have speakers from the WNBA, the , , and more to show us all the different avenues we could go into,Ӱԭ Quigley said.
She also knows that employers often Ӱԭwant a unicorn: 21 years old right out of school with some experience.Ӱԭ So, wherever sheӰԭs worked Ӱԭin marketing at , now at TST Ӱԭ she wanted to provide students with internship experience.
During the tournament, the interns, Sacci and Sullivan, along with Halle Palmedo Ӱԭ24 M.S., Terence Pyres Ӱԭ24, Nicolas Cortes Arango Ӱԭ24 M.S., Charles Lawal Ӱԭ24, David Ramirez Ӱԭ24, and Rocio Mejia Ӱԭ25, arrived at the venue around 5 a.m., working under the guidance of the UniversityӰԭs Coach Laura Duncan Ӱԭ18 M.S., and they worked until midnight or two in the morning, prepping for the next dayӰԭs games.
It was fast paced and tapped into everything Sacci said he learned in his venue, event, and international sports management courses.
ӰԭWe started the morning by helping with the final touches to the athlete village,Ӱԭ said Sacci, who plans to go into sport event management. ӰԭI was the point person for several of the teams participating. That meant answering any questions they had and figuring out when to take them to the practice field. Every day I was there I was thinking ӰԭOk, what do I need to do and what order should I get it done?Ӱԭ and thatӰԭs something valuable no matter what I do in the future.Ӱԭ
Coach Duncan marveled at the way her former player, Quigley, handled the never-ending complexities of running a tournament and the resiliency and professionalism of the students. ӰԭOur students were responsible for 32 teams,Ӱԭ she said. ӰԭAll of it was on TV, so the games had to start on time. There was no getting it wrong. They were continually problem solving.Ӱԭ
Added Quigley, ӰԭThe interns helped with set up and take down Ӱԭ and everything I could have possibly needed while they were on site. They nailed it.Ӱԭ
In the end, the students watched as , an amateur team that dedicates its matches in honor of the memory of the victims of Sandy Hook, won the tourney.
ӰԭThe moment that sticks out to me was our entire group watching the final match at field level and seeing the stands packed with fans,Ӱԭ Sacci said. ӰԭThere was a sense of camaraderie, but we were also able to take a step back and see the impact we had on the whole tournament.Ӱԭ
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