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Wed 07 Oct

Start your Saints journey: Industrial Placement opportunities open for 2027/28

Northampton Saints’ Industrial Placement opportunities for the 2027/28 season are now open for applications, offering students the chance to put their learning into action at the heart of an elite professional sports organisation.

Designed for students whose degree includes a placement year, or those looking for experience to support studying for a Masters, these roles offer far more than an insight into professional sport. You will gain meaningful hands-on experience, develop skills that employers value, and discover what you can achieve when you bring your ambition to Saints.

Across community programmes, commercial operations, performance and sports science, our placement students become part of the Saints team. From day one, you will work alongside experienced professionals, contribute to projects that matter and see first-hand what it takes to help a Gallagher PREM rugby club perform on and off the pitch.

But do not just take our word for it. We spoke to colleagues who started their Saints journey as placement students or interns and have since returned to build full-time careers with the Club.

Their experiences show how a year at Saints can build confidence, sharpen professional skills and help turn an interest in sport into a clear and achievable career path.

More than just Work Experience

For our former placement students, the year was far more than work experience. It was an opportunity to build confidence, test themselves and develop practical skills that cannot be learned in a classroom alone.

Working within professional teams, managing competing priorities, communicating with a wide range of people and taking ownership of important responsibilities helped our placement students grow quickly. In a fast-paced, high-performance environment, they were trusted to contribute from day one and supported to keep raising their game.

“It gave me opportunities to try new things and pushed me outside my comfort zone. I learned how to work alongside different people in different situations, building relationships with a wide variety of people.”
Tabitha Banks
Women and Girls Rugby Development Officer

That combination of trust, challenge and support gave many of our former placement students the confidence to move from university into the professional workplace ready to make an impact.

Bringing University learning to life

The placement year gave students the chance to turn academic theory into practical experience, deepening their understanding and showing them how their learning could make a difference in a professional sporting environment.

Former placement students returned to university with greater confidence, clearer context for their coursework and valuable real-world examples to draw upon in assignments, projects and dissertations.

“My placement year helped me gain a lot more confidence in myself and my ability, not just professionally but personally. I took that into my final year of university and viewed that year in a different light.”
Izzy Manchett
Supporter Experience and Memberships Executive

Building career confidence

A placement year at Saints can help turn ambition into direction. For some students, it confirms the career they already want; for others, it reveals strengths, interests and opportunities they had not yet considered.

By experiencing the pace, standards and variety of professional sport first-hand, our placement students gained a clearer understanding of the career pathways available and the confidence to pursue the opportunities that excited them most.

The experience helped them identify their strengths, understand the type of work that motivated them and make more informed decisions about life after graduation.

“My placement at Northampton Saints gave me the practical experience and confidence to pursue a career in sports marketing, helping me stand out to employers and ultimately shaping the direction of my career.”
James Waite
Marketing Executive
“The role massively helped my confidence in a sporting environment. You are given as much or as little work as you are comfortable with whilst simultaneously being pushed to get better and progress. You get out of the role what you put into it.”
Louie Greaves
Academy Analyst

Making a difference in applications and interviews

The projects, challenges and achievements our former placement students experienced at Saints gave them a wealth of real-life examples to use in applications and competency-based interviews.

Rather than relying solely on academic examples, they could demonstrate practical experience, problem-solving ability, teamwork, adaptability and professional judgement. Many felt this gave them greater confidence throughout the recruitment process and helped them stand out from other candidates.

Why apply?

An Industrial Placement with Northampton Saints gives you the opportunity to:

  • Play an active part in a professional sporting organisation.
  • Build adaptable, career-ready skills that are valued across industries.
  • Grow in confidence, independence and professional credibility.
  • Apply academic learning in real-world situations.
  • Strengthen future applications and interview performance.
  • Explore potential career pathways and professional interests.
  • Create experiences, connections and memories that can shape your future.
“Do it. The experience of working alongside your university degree is invaluable. Northampton Saints is a hands-on environment where you can be part of so many different areas of the business to grow and develop your skills.”
Izzy Manchett
Supporter Experience and Memberships Executive

Applications for our 2027/28 Industrial Placement opportunities are now open. If you are ready to challenge yourself, contribute to the Club and make your placement year count, we would love to hear from you.

Explore our 2027/28 opportunities and start your Saints journey today. Closing date for applicants is Monday 9 November, with screening and interviews from 10-20 November.

Industrial Placement Opportunities: 2027/28 Season

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