Internships
PROGRAM CHANGE:
The NFL Players Association, NFL Players, Inc., and The Trust will no longer offer remote internship opportunities beginning with our Fall 2023 class who start in September. Going forward, all internships will take place in our Washington, DC offices.
We will begin recruiting for Summer 2024 in mid-March 2024. Please watch this website for updates.
I’m happy to answer any questions regarding this or any other matter regarding the NFLPA’s Internship Program. Please review our FAQ for additional information.
Mark Cobb
Recruiting Manager
mark.cobb@nflpa.com (no phone calls)
Goal of internship program:
- Assist colleges and universities which allow internships by providing on-the-job training to aid in career preparation.
- Provide work experience to recent graduates interested in working in the sports industry.
Requirements:
- Students must be entering their junior or senior year of study in an undergraduate program or must be enrolled in a graduate program or law school.
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
- Recent graduates must have completed an undergraduate, graduate program or law school within one year of application.
- All applicants must submit the following to be considered:
- A cover letter which includes all contact information (name, address, phone, and email) and the departments which interest you (up to 3)
- Resume
- Transcript (can be unofficial but should be recent)
- A list of three (3) easily contactable persons who have agreed to provide a reference for you. List should include an address, telephone number, and email
- A response to one of the two essay questions below to demonstrate your ability to write clearly and concisely. The essay should be no more than 650 words; please do not exceed the word limit. Your name and word count should appear at the top of the page on your response.
- Question 1: Professional athletes and other celebrities are often idolized by the public, especially young children. Many think this requires that they behave as role models at all times. Do you agree or disagree?
- Question 2: The United States is currently embroiled in political controversies and the emergence of social justice issues surrounding race, equal rights, and other critical matters that affect all citizens. What, if any, responsibility does the professional athlete have to use his or her social media or other platforms to comment or take action on these issues?
Hours, Compensation and Housing:
Interns for the NFLPA are limited to a 27.5-hour work week. The NFLPA provides an hourly stipend of $17.00 and will pay commuting costs or parking. For any other additional information or questions not answered, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The NFLPA does not provide housing assistance, nor does it assist with, endorse, or recommend any of the following services or organizations. These links are provided for informational purposes only:
Departmental Functions
NFL Players Association
Communications
The Communications Department serves the members of the NFLPA by working to protect players’ integrity and image through fair and accurate coverage in the media. In addition, they educate the player membership on programs and initiatives available through their union while ensuring that internal and external messages are clear and consistent.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting the digital communications team with social media posts, graphics and content creation
- Helping with the collection of photos and graphics for different NFLPA events
- Performing general office duties and media research
Intern candidates should have:
- Strong communication, writing and copywriting skills
- Basic knowledge of Canva, Photoshop and/or other Adobe Creative Suite applications
- Understanding of social media landscape and industry trends
- A detail-oriented, resourceful and problem-solving mentality
Events
The Events Department oversees events, both small and large, to support NFLPA objectives and promote the NFLPA brand. The Events Team focuses on enhancing the guest experience for the Players Association and its valued partners and manages events while ensuring plans align with corporate objectives. The goal of the Events Team is to enhance relationships among players, partners and staff while bringing awareness to the services of NFLPA.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Helping in the planning of Collegiate Bowl, Pro Bowl, Rep Meeting, Combine, Draft, and Rookie Premiere.
- Researching venues and brainstorming creative ideas for events such as themes, food, beverage, space setup, etc.
- Making transportation and travel accommodations for staff, former and current players, partners and consultants who are attending events.
- Working with Communications department to create all collateral and branding for event properties.
- Assisting with planning and execution of local meetings, either in the office or DC area.
Former Player Services
The Former Players Services Department is a fraternity of former NFL players and facilitate personal growth beyond football while providing an active voice for former players of all ages. In addition, providing tools, resources, and opportunities to support a successful transition from the game, the department focuses on cultivating compassion, respect and dignity within its membership. The Former Players Department seeks to inspire players to feel connected to one another, their community and to the NFLPA when their football careers end and their life after football begins.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Supporting Former Players Department staff across all projects within the department
- Performing research and data analytics to support former player programs
- Providing integrity checks/updates to our database of more than 20,000 former players
- Creating content and social media design for former player channels
- Ensuring deadlines are met within a fast-paced environment
- Intern must possess exceptional computer and project-oriented skills.
Player Affairs
The Player Affairs Department ensures players are aware, educated and informed, to actively guard their collectively bargained rights and benefit from union programs, resources and services. In addition to empowering players to focus on matters that will enhance their transitions through the NFLPA pipeline, the Player Affairs Department works with Player Representatives, as liaisons, to provide off-the-field direction through mentorship programs, comprehensive financial services and other membership assistance. The Player Affairs Department also works with the NFL Management Council to jointly administer the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse and Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting team members with logistics as it pertains to programs and resources available for active players.
- Helping to maintain an accurate database for tracking engagement with active players.
- Handles introductory calls with active players looking for professional development or continuing education assistance.
- Reviewing and processing applications for the Registered Financial Advisor program, as needed.
- Stays abreast of all matters concerning union business as it relates to issues including but not limited to workers’ rights, benefits, support programs, etc.
- Support inter-scholastic and inter-collegiate affairs with scheduling and program implementation, as needed.
Player Wellness
The Player Wellness team is a subset of the Player Affairs Department. This department serves all active players by equipping them with resources to help them succeed on and off the field. This position works with a small team to provide world-class service through strategic outreach to active players regarding their overall wellbeing. The Wellness department facilitates referrals to mental health providers. The intern's responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
- Assisting the Department with wellness resource generation, including mental health, nutrition, and injury/healthy recovery resources.
- Assisting the Department with the Clinician Directory management, including database maintenance, recruitment process, and effectiveness/utilization research.
- Participating in the planning of the annual Player Associations Injured Reserve (PAIR) program.
- Administrative duties including:
- Creating presentation decks and organizing the PAD wellness OneDrive and SharePoint.
- Maintaining the departments key contact list on AirTable.
- Maintaining the internal inventory system
- Ordering merchandise for future wellness programming.
- Contributing player wellness content to the monthly newsletter.
- Monitoring social media outlets for player-related mental health and wellness content.
- Collaborating with the Player Affairs intern on department wide initiatives.
- Other duties as assigned
Intern candidates should possess:
- Completed degree (or pursuing) in Mental Health, Health Promotions, or related field.
- Demonstrated ability to plan/organize work effectively.
- Self-starter and demonstrated ability to be professional and flexible.
- Exceptional Microsoft Suite skills; Airtable experience is a plus
- Understanding of mental health laws related to confidentiality and privacy.
Professional Athletes Foundation
The Professional Athletes Foundation was founded to support, strengthen, and inspire players as they transitioned from their active NFL careers. Established in 1990 as the charitable arm of the NFL Players Association, the PAF offers a range of wellness resources as well as financial assistance through the Gene Upshaw PAT Grant. With more than $10 million in financial, medical and educational assistance granted, the PAF is the leading foundation in assisting former NFL players. Learn more at www.yourpaf.com
Intern responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Assists in maintaining accurate electronic files for the PAF
- Corresponds accordingly with GU PAT Applicants, Charitable Grant Organizations
- Assists with PAF Chapter and Family Scholarship Program, communicating info to Former Player chapter, scholarship recipients, and academic institutions
- Performs data entry related to Gene Upshaw PAT Grant Assistance Program
- Assist with preparation related to PAF engagements and Former Player Convention
- Respects the sensitivity and maintains confidentiality of PAF records, player records and other information
- Assists with PAF event/engagement prep and department mailing: packing, shipping, gifting inventory, etc.
Salary Cap & Agent Administration
The Salary Cap & Agent Administration Department is responsible for assisting agents and players with contract negotiations, monitoring each team’s salary cap, tracking team cash spending, and each player’s transaction in the Raider database. In addition, the department is responsible for maintaining and administering all aspects of the agent certification program.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting department with filing NFL Player Contracts, Standard Representation Agreements and addendums, agent termination letters and any and all correspondence with the NFLPA and certified agents.
- Assisting with database information management.
- Assisting department in mailings to NFLPA certified agents.
- Updating Key Club Personnel document.
- Assisting with all Salary Cap/Agent Administration related projects.
- Assisting other departments as needed and upon approval of Department Head.
NFL Players, Inc.
Formed in 1994, NFLPI is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFLPA. NFLPI exists to generate revenue and marketing opportunities for the NFLPA and its members.
Consumer Products and Strategy (Licensing)
The Consumer Products and Strategy Department is comprised of two verticals: Apparel and Hardlines and Trading Cards, Games & Digital NFL PLAYERS, Inc. is passionate about working with innovative partners in each of these categories to create and market unique products that utilize group licensing rights. Consumer Product and Strategy knows NFL players better than anyone and works closely with all NFLPA licensees to help them maximize usage of group player rights. Learn about group licensing rights and the product development cycle through artwork approvals, account management, marketing activation and more.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Participating in interdepartmental and licensee meetings, as well as conference calls to gain an understanding of partner business models and activations.
- Working across all departments to meet the licensee’s objectives, including industry research projects
- Coordinating Player engagements with the Player Services Department.
- Assisting with the planning and coordination of licensees activation at various industry and NFLPA events such as Rookie Premier, Collegiate Bowl, etc.
- Engaging in trade media review to identify licensing trends and possible opportunities.
- Assisting with departmental projects such as product approvals, merchandise requests, and social media monitoring
Marketing and Business Development
The Marketing Department oversees the business-to-business marketing strategies and plans across multiple platforms including campaigns, events, media and digital to amplify the business arm of the NFLPA, NFL Players Inc. Marketing promotes NFL players and our brand, by bringing awareness to the services of the NFLPA and enhancing relationships among players, partners and staff.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Coordinating on monthly and quarterly newsletters circulated to key stakeholders, including partners and players, that provides updates about NFLPA licensing & marketing.
- Assisting with NFLPA website content, including publishing stories, submitting creative requests for key projects, and updating brand landing pages as needed.
- Monitoring and tracking social media platforms, specifically on LinkedIn and helping amplify partners across NFLPA social platforms.
- Handling marketing operational assignments as needed, including developing presentations and slides, processing invoices, participating in brainstorms and meetings and managing creative assets.
Partner Services
The Partner Services Department is dedicated to servicing companies with official sponsorships. We work closely with all of our partners to help them maximize their usage of group player rights. Partner Services works collaboratively on the overall planning and integration of NFL players leveraged within our partners’ annual NFL player-integrated promotional campaigns. We place emphasis on engagement and alignment with sponsors to offer assistance and resources to help implement their overall campaign using NFL players and our properties. In addition to delivering group player rights, Partner Services oversees all creative executions using the identities of NFL players, making the approval process easy.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting in maintaining internal audit and reconciliation of sponsor utilization of group player rights.
- Assisting in communication to various external stakeholders of NFL player-exclusive partnerships.
- Working with department staff to review sponsor marketing and advertising materials featuring NFL players’ intellectual property.
- Collaborating with department staff to research new business opportunities.
- Helping implement partnership agreements, including digital distribution of agreements and necessary documents to appropriate stakeholders.
- Assisting with the development of marketing proposals and activation recap presentations.
- Helping with the coordination and fulfillment of trade, product and merchandise needs to and from partners.
- Assisting department with pre-event logistics and planning for NFLPA assets and properties.
Player Services
The Player Services Department serves as a primary resource for former and active players by helping identify opportunities and leverage their brand to increase and maximize off-field marketing opportunities.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Assist with all departmental functions including being a resource for players, agents, marketing representatives and NFLPA partners.
- Help facilitate player procurement by updating contract templates, arranging transportation logistics, and corresponding with stakeholders as directed.
- Aid team with entering player deal information into the CRM system and processing payments.
- Assist with ongoing research and data management of players’ hobbies, interests, background, and unique characteristics.
- Assist with the documentation of the Marketing Representation Notice (MRN) process, Player Corporation and W-9 filing.
- Help team with special projects related, but not limited, to events such as the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Super Bowl, and Rookie Premiere.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS:
- Self-starter, highly organized with the ability to work productively in both independent and team settings
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite software
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Programs and Operations
The Programs and Operations Department services the entire team at NFL Players Inc. and NFLPA team, when applicable, and supports a broad range of projects and programs impacting business operations. Intern Candidates should have a teamwork mentality, strong attention to detail, a penchant for project management, and diligent organization.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Working across all departments to support numerous ongoing projects in a highly polished and effective manner.
- Participating on interdepartmental calls to record meeting notes and highlight next steps for each working group.
- Organizing and maintaining the NFL Players Inc. Operations folder, archiving important materials and information.
- Maintaining the NFL Players Inc. back-of-house tracker, supporting the implementation of new initiatives and organizational efficiencies.
- Supporting the Programs and Operations Department in identifying ways to improve NFL Players Inc. operations.
The Trust
The Trust is an endorsed brand of the NFLPA formed in 2013 to provide programs and resources to former NFL players. Through nationwide partnerships, we provide access to career, medical, financial education, nutrition, entrepreneurial, and continuing education services. We are committed to a player’s well-being and create customized game plans to meet each former player where he is in his transition from football.
Engagement & Digital Marketing Intern
The Engagement Department runs all of The Trust’s marketing and outreach efforts, making sure former players are aware of all the services available to them in their transition from professional football. The Engagement Department also oversees marketing strategies and digital services including promotions, events, and marketing to support The Trust, an endorsed brand of the NFLPA.
Intern responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Proficient graphic design skills within Photoshop and other Adobe Creative Suites
- Assist with keeping website up to date
- Conduct interviews with former players and draft compelling content that shares their stories in fresh and engaging ways
- Provide support to various outreach efforts for events
- Be an integral part of Wraparound visit setup and execution
- Strong communication and writing skills
- Detail-oriented and well-organized work style
- Creativity, resourcefulness, and strong problem-solving skills
- Understanding of how to post and manage digital content, including working knowledge of CMS systems (Wordpress, Orchard, etc.) and basic HTML skills preferred