For many young professionals, building a career in football is an ambition shaped by passion, determination and the desire to work within an industry they have admired for years. Yet behind the appeal of working in football lies a competitive employment landscape, where opportunities can be difficult to secure, particularly for those taking their first steps.
At The Business of Football Network, we often speak to experienced executives, directors and established figures across the football industry. However, we rarely interview people who are at the very beginning of their professional journey.
Having attended World Football Summit Madrid 2026, we were particularly interested in the story of Ludovica Cialone, Partnerships Executive at World Football Summit, who was still completing her university studies while managing her first professional role in football.
What made her story interesting was the challenge of balancing those academic commitments with being part of a team that works closely with senior executives, directors, business owners and key decision makers across international football.
It is a challenge that also resonates with our own journey at The Business of Football Network. Entering an industry at a young age, building relationships and finding the confidence to engage with people who have decades of experience can be intimidating.
Madrid brought together major names including Thibaut Courtois and Javier Tebas, alongside representatives of leading international football organisations. For someone still at the beginning of their career, working in an environment surrounded by such influential figures presents a unique challenge.
That was precisely why we wanted to understand Ludovica's experience. For students and young professionals who might consider opportunities of this nature almost impossible to reach, her story offers a valuable perspective on what it is actually like to enter the industry and begin building a career.
Turning a Passion for Football Into a Career
Cialone's journey began in Rome, where she studied economics and management at LUISS Guido Carli University before moving to Madrid to pursue a Master's in Management, specialising in marketing, branding and sales.
Although football had always been a significant interest, she initially viewed the sport as a hobby rather than a realistic professional career.
That perception began to change as she discovered the commercial and economic dimensions of football.
Understanding the business structures behind the sport allowed her to recognise that her academic interests could align with her passion for football.
During her undergraduate studies, Cialone worked as a marketing associate within a student consulting association while also taking on responsibilities as team manager of her university football team.
These experiences helped her develop practical skills before securing an opportunity with World Football Summit in May.
Initially joining through an internship, she subsequently progressed into a full time position as Partnerships Executive.
However, reaching that stage required considerable persistence.
The Challenge of Finding an Opportunity in Football
One of the most significant challenges Cialone identified was the difficulty young professionals face when attempting to secure their first position in football.
While the industry offers opportunities across commercial operations, marketing, finance, production and project management, she explained that the number of available positions remains relatively limited compared with the demand.
For students and graduates, this creates a particularly difficult situation when employers require previous professional experience.
"If everyone asks for this experience, who is going to give young people these two years of experience?"
It is a question that reflects one of the most frustrating aspects of entering a competitive industry.
Young professionals are expected to demonstrate experience, yet opportunities to obtain that experience can be difficult to access.
For Cialone, this was more than a theoretical concern.
Before securing her position at World Football Summit, she revealed that she had received 42 rejections during her search for employment.
At one stage, she began considering whether to pursue opportunities outside football altogether.
Nevertheless, she continued applying, eventually securing the opportunity that would mark the beginning of her professional career in the sport.
She expressed particular appreciation for the trust placed in her by World Football Summit, explaining that the organisation provided responsibilities beyond what she might ordinarily have expected from an internship.
Being trusted with meaningful work gave her an opportunity to develop the experience and confidence that employers frequently demand from young applicants.
Working Alongside Football's Senior Decision Makers
For Cialone, World Football Summit Madrid 2026 represented an important moment in her professional development.
It was both her first time working at the event and her first experience attending a World Football Summit gathering.
With more than 2,500 people to engage with, including experienced executives, club presidents and senior decision makers from across the football industry, she admitted that the scale of the occasion initially made her nervous.
Arriving at the venue on the opening day, the reality of her responsibilities began to sink in.
She was entering an environment where many of the people she would meet had spent years, sometimes decades, building their careers in football.
However, as the event progressed, her initial concerns began to disappear.
Cialone explained that she came to recognise that even the most experienced executives had once been in the same position as her, starting their careers and learning how to navigate the industry.
One experience that particularly stood out involved meeting the president of FC Andorra.
Having the opportunity to show him around the venue, she was surprised by how approachable and interested he was in their conversation.
Despite the considerable difference in their professional experience, she found the interaction comfortable and engaging.
It was a valuable reminder that seniority does not necessarily create barriers to meaningful professional conversations.
For young people who may feel intimidated by the prospect of speaking to senior executives, her experience demonstrates how those initial perceptions can change once conversations begin.
The event also tested her ability to operate under pressure.
Alongside meeting delegates and developing professional relationships, Cialone and her colleagues had to manage unexpected situations while ensuring the event ran successfully.
Reflecting on the experience, she expressed satisfaction with how the team responded to those challenges.
Looking towards future events, her biggest personal lesson was the importance of remaining calm and approaching unfamiliar situations with greater confidence.
Balancing University With a Professional Career
Alongside the demands of working at World Football Summit, Cialone has continued managing her postgraduate studies.
With her Master's degree scheduled for completion in December, she explained that maintaining a balance between university and professional responsibilities has been one of her biggest challenges.
For Cialone, organisation has become essential to managing both commitments effectively.
Rather than allowing either her studies or employment to take priority at the expense of the other, she developed a structured timetable around her university classes and working hours.
When attending classes in the morning, she would work in the afternoon. When her academic commitments took place later in the day, she would organise her professional responsibilities around them.
This approach required her to establish clear priorities and make effective use of her available time.
She also highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance beyond academic and professional responsibilities, recognising that personal wellbeing plays an important role in sustaining progress.
Her experience reflects a challenge faced by many students entering the football industry, where gaining practical experience can be important for future employment but must often be balanced against existing educational commitments.
Why Rejection Should Not End an Ambition
Towards the conclusion of the interview, Cialone returned to the challenges of entering football and offered advice to those currently searching for their first opportunity.
Having experienced repeated rejection herself, she encouraged aspiring professionals to remain flexible about the routes they take into the industry.
"If you cannot find a way to get to your goal, just find another one."
Rather than focusing exclusively on securing an ideal position, she suggested that young professionals should consider opportunities that allow them to develop relevant skills and connections, even if those roles do not immediately reflect their long term ambitions.
Her own journey demonstrates this approach.
Experience in university marketing and football team management eventually contributed towards her progression into a partnerships role at World Football Summit.
She also emphasised that professional development is a continuous process and that setbacks should not necessarily discourage individuals from pursuing their ambitions.
"You have to leave the door open and you have to keep believing that you can do this."
Having encountered those difficulties herself, Cialone now makes an effort to support students and young professionals who approach her through LinkedIn.
She explained that she regularly receives questions from people interested in entering the industry and tries to respond wherever possible.
For someone who was considering a different career direction only months before securing her opportunity, helping others navigate similar challenges has become personally important.
The Value of International Connections
Beyond the practical experience gained from organising World Football Summit, Cialone also reflected on the value of meeting people from different football cultures.
The international nature of the event allowed her to interact with professionals from across the world, each bringing different experiences and perspectives on how football operates.
For Cialone, these conversations represent one of the most appealing aspects of working within the industry.
Building an international professional network is not simply about establishing contacts. It also provides opportunities to encounter different ideas, challenge existing assumptions and develop a broader understanding of the football business landscape.
She believes listening to people from different backgrounds can help young professionals expand their perspectives as they continue developing their careers.
A Career Still Taking Shape
Cialone's journey offers an insight into what entering the football business industry can look like for someone still completing their education.
From receiving 42 rejections to securing a position at World Football Summit and helping deliver a major international event, her experience highlights the importance of persistence, preparation and being willing to explore different opportunities.
It also challenges the perception that meaningful involvement in football business is reserved exclusively for established professionals.
While the industry remains competitive, her experience demonstrates that young people can contribute within environments involving some of football's most influential figures, even at the beginning of their careers.
For students and aspiring professionals who may question whether such opportunities are realistically within reach, Cialone's story provides an encouraging perspective.
Her career is still developing, but the lessons she has gained through rejection, responsibility and international exposure have already shaped her understanding of the industry.
And perhaps the most important message from her experience is that entering football does not require having every step of a career planned in advance.
Sometimes, it begins with finding an opportunity, believing in your ability to contribute and being prepared to learn along the way.
This article is based on The Business of Football Network's conversation with Ludovica Cialone, Partnerships Executive at World Football Summit, following the 2026 edition of World Football Summit Madrid.
