During the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons I had the pleasure of working at Leicester City Football Club. During this time I worked in three different departments and did more laps of the pitch than I can remember.
My daily work had me walking across the dugout multiple times and while it was tempting to go and have a sit down on the manager’s chair and see what it feels like to be the boss of The Foxes, it was probably against the rules (and they had covers on).
The best part of the job was being in and amongst the very people who make the club so great. From directors, media staff, the (awesome) groundskeeping staff and of course, the players. I was lucky enough to work there during a time when the legend Claudio Ranieri was manager. Claudio was a great character, just like you would imagine.
Whenever I was fortunate enough to cross Ranieri’s path, he would always greet me and my colleagues with a friendly hello and sometimes a shake of the hand. Wes Morgan was probably my favourite person to meet; although it is somewhat embarrassing when I look back on it.
It was early on in my capacity at KPS, and I tried to keep it cool – as if I wasn’t in the company of the man who was going to lift the Premier League trophy in a matter of months. “Yes, Wes”, I said as I shook his hand. He smirked, and said “hi”, probably wondering who I was. Although I’m glad he didn’t ask and saved me the embarrassment. I was buzzing.
The club cared about everyone who played a part in its successes, even me, the guy who helped out sweeping up around the seats now and then. Bonuses, treats, freebies and great Christmas parties at the end of each year. My favourite touch was a lovely little card hand-signed from Vichai, Top and Ranieri for the new year of 2017 given to every single member of staff who worked for the club.
The clappers! Ever wondered how the clappers get to your seat before each home game? I worked among a small team who would go around the entire stadium and put a clapper on each seat by hand. It was a repetitive task, but the people I did it with were great and made it much more enjoyable than it sounds. I even got to put Vichai’s clapper on his seat for the trophy lift game versus Everton.
The worst part about working for Leicester? Working match days. As a lifelong city fan and season ticket holder, not being able to join in with the usual matchday fun was difficult for me. Fortunately, while the match was on we were able to stop working and watch each half (with a free pie provided by the club). This was another nice touch.
Working at the King Power was one of the best experiences of my life. Working during the title-winning and the Champions League campaigns and being so close to everything going on. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone at the club does such an incredible job and is the reason the East Midlands Club is what it is today.
A few years down the road, I’m sure the club still has most of those great people working behind the scenes along with some new faces who will no doubt be assisting the club in its ambitions to return to the Champions League once more. I hope next season can bring us glory, with the help of some new signings – as Brendan Rodgers prepares for a squad ‘refresh’ – and hopefully more youth players are coming through from the Under-23 setup.