High school students from Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) recently attended the NFL Washington Commanders’ Sports Business Day. Marketing students and students involved in Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) from Battlefield, Charles J. Colgan Sr., Freedom, Gainesville, Patriot, and Woodbridge High Schools toured the stadium, locker room, and postgame press conference room, learning about the business side of the NFL.

Students explored various career opportunities in the NFL and had an opportunity to ask questions. Speakers at the event included Patrick Arthur, vice president of marketing; Terry Roy, vice president of premium hospitality; Dan Levy, director of youth football programs; Kevin Kline, director of social media; and DeAna Tyler, senior manager of marketing and engagement, all from the Washington Commanders.

More than 3,000 students from across the D.C. metropolitan area attended Sports Business Day. Jake Supran, senior account executive for the Washington Commanders, organized the event and described the invaluable insight it provides students.

“It’s a unique learning opportunity for students and teachers to visit our stadium and discover the business behind the NFL and the Commanders. A lot of the time, students only think about Jayden Daniels and what’s happening on the field, but there’s all these really cool and unique departments and roles that we want to introduce to them,” said Supran. “We want them to learn, see, and envision themselves in a career they might pursue in the future.”

Nicole Healey, business/marketing teacher and DECA advisor at Woodbridge High, has been bringing students to Sports Business Day since its inception in 2022. She shared her enthusiasm and strong support for the event.

“This was our third year attending Sports Business Day at Commanders Northwest Stadium, and it was the best one yet. The event provided our sports and entertainment marketing students with invaluable insights in the sports business industry through engaging panel discussions with Commanders executives in marketing, corporate partnerships, community relations and public relations,” said Healey. “This field trip enhances our students’ understanding of the business side of a sports franchise.”

Luca DellaFave, a senior sports marketing student at Patriot High School, attended Sports Business Day for the first time this year. He said it opened his eyes to all the opportunities.

“I had no idea there were so many career paths in sports until I visited the Washington Commanders stadium. Seeing all the behind-the-scenes work from the staff really showed me how much effort it takes to run an organization," said DellaFave.

Emily Drzewucki, a sophomore at Woodbridge and member of DECA, shared the impact the visit had on her.

"This field trip was such an amazing experience from touring the stadium to learning the process to work in the sports industry. I loved hearing the different perspectives and backgrounds of the professionals in the marketing field such as hospitality, media, and youth development," said Drzewucki.

Attending students received a ticket to an upcoming Commanders game at Northwest Stadium.