Sport Management Student Launches Soccer Podcast
The life of Zach Young ’22 seems to revolve around soccer, and he will say so himself. To tune into his podcast, visit https://anchor.fm/OnTheHalfVolley.
“I feel I have so much to give to the sport with my passion, knowledge of the game, and motivation to succeed,” he said.
He played soccer throughout high school and is on the Rosemont men’s soccer team. Now, he not only plays the sport, but runs a podcast – On the Half Volley – where he can delve into all soccer-related topics.
“I wanted to create a podcast where I could talk passionately about the sport I love,” said Young. “I cover segments about match recaps, key performances, and wellness and health discussions. The podcast has allowed me to invite various people, mostly my friends and teammates, on to hear their perspectives on the sport. I find it very interesting to see how other people view the same thing.”
Young's two main goals are to make the episodes fun and informative for those who are not as well-versed in the sport.
“It’s a very fun platform where I can be myself, collaborate with other fans, friends and, hopefully one day, professionals,” he said. “I try and make it as professional as possible and easy to listen to, so people who may not understand the sport fully can follow along and maybe learn a thing or two.”
As a Sport Management major, Young is aspiring to work in a management position for a soccer club.
“As an athlete playing various sports, I’ve always been interested in athletics,” he said. “I have a strong passion and love for business whether its speaking to people and networking or data analysis. Sport management combined my two passions of sports and business, so it was a no-brainer.”
Young also has a third passion – art. He is pursuing a minor in art as he hopes to bring together his business and artistic interests.
“I have always been a very artistically expressive person,” he said. “Having a background and minor in art could help me in sports management whether its logo design, flyers, ticket design or marketing print work, to name a few. I think there are a lot of possibilities to tie studio art and sport management together.”
Young is currently an intern at RTD financial doing data entry and operational projects where is learning the inner workings of the business environment.
“Working for this very well-known firm is a step in the right direction for me,” he said. “Even though it isn’t directly related to sports, it’s still providing me with exposure to what the business world is like. After I graduate in 2022, I would like to get my master’s degree (most likely 4 + 1 at Rosemont). I’d like to continue my involvement with soccer so interning or working at a soccer club is what I’m working toward next.”
Young is already well on his way to integrating soccer into his future aspirations. He presented at the 2019 Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) conference about a soccer club’s financial and marketing program analysis, and he has visited England to tour soccer facilities.
“I went to Manchester City Football Club over winter break to see a game and took the initiative to reach out to several employees to learn about Sports Management in the real world,” he said. “I was really fortunate to get behind-the-scenes tour before kick-off. It was awesome, and it really stoked my desire to be involved in the sport. But, as for now, I am just staying open to everything and trying to make the most of the opportunities given to me.”
Rosemont provided the opportunity to bring academics and soccer together for Young when he was looking at colleges.
“I played soccer throughout high school and committing to a program for athletics was part of my college decision as well,” he said. “As soon as I came on to Rosemont’s campus, I had the feeling of home. Having been recruited for soccer it was the best of both worlds.”
Young is also a recipient of the Cornelian Scholarship. The scholarship is named for Cornelia Connelly, the founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and covers full tuition and fees at Rosemont College.
“Rosemont was the perfect combination for me and coming to Rosemont was the best decision I’ve made,” said Young.