ABOUT

So what do you actually do?

I work within the Northern Europe partnerships team to help manage relationships with our contracted football partners.

This means working with clubs such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City, and Leeds United whilst also engaging with the Premier League and the EFL as our official league partners. Our contractual rights vary from digital rights such as eCRMS to planning and shooting player appearances as well as social media engagement.

What has your career path been?

It’s been pretty short and sweet so far! As a University student I decided to apply for a placement year between my second and third year. I was lucky enough to secure a placement at EA, working as a marketing intern for the UK marketing and communications team.

I was very fortunate to have an encouraging and inspiring manager who opened many doors for me and allowed me to lead a variety of projects across game titles such as The Sims, Anthem, Need for Speed and FIFA.

From the moment I stepped into the office I loved the work we did and continued to be inspired by the team around me on a daily basis. Which is why I was delighted when I was offered the opportunity to return to EA after graduation, as the Partnerships Executive for the FIFA product within Northern Europe.

What is the best part of your job?

The best moment throughout the whole campaign is the FIFA launch event. There is a huge build up to the event with team members and our agencies working tirelessly to get virtual and physical marketing solutions in place.

When it finally arrives, our launch event is a brilliant moment where we can network with colleagues and meet the talent we work with whilst celebrating the launch of our new game.  

On a day to day basis, nothing beats flicking through Instagram after a long day and visually seeing the work we have produced.

Why do you do your job?

Firstly, I love organising, talking to people, and making things happen under pressure. I am also aware that I have a unique role to play because the football and gaming industry have more to do when it comes to addressing equality and diversity issues.

Over the years, I have come to understand that as a dual heritage British Asian female there aren’t many people who look like me currently working in the industry - but I am determined to change that. However, the positive and inclusive culture of EA means that I can feel proud of who I am and use my experiences to make sure that diversity is central to all the work we do.

Ironically, I don’t see myself as being a huge gamer (aside from playing hours of The Sims 2 & 3 when I was younger), but I know that I can bring a fresh perspective to the work we do and it has been great to immerse myself in the world of gaming and football.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Just be yourself, without any apology. Always take the time to stop and have a laugh.

Oh, and always have a clipboard handy. You can never go wrong with a clipboard.

Check out Sameena’s Instagram below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

While working from home I have been starting the morning off with a home workout or gentle walk to clear my head and to get prepared.

Following this, breakfast and a cup of tea is essential. No work begins until a cuppa is in hand.

I am a huge fan of to-do lists and like to write everything down, so before even touching my inbox I review my to-do list from the day before and carry over any tasks which I didn’t manage to complete to a new page.  I then tackle the inbox whilst also reading over messages from Slack and work group chats on WhatsApp. My team use more than one communication platform so it’s important to check across them all.  

We aim to be as reactive to what’s happening in the real world of football as possible for a lot of our campaign beats. For example, each year at the Championship Play Off Final we work to put a Man of the Match item to go in game within minutes of the final whistle being blown.

We also work to shoot our contractual player appearances. Before COVID, this meant working with the club and a production agency to organise and shoot content onsite at the clubs training grounds or stadiums. However, at the moment due to COVID-19 restrictions we are filming a lot of our content virtually.

After attending partner status meetings and organising social content to go live, I round up the day by ensuring I have read and actioned as many emails in my inbox as possible. I flag any emails that I have not had a chance to get to that day and make a list of what to reply to the following morning. After all, it’s important to work hard but it is also vital to know your limits and boundaries. If I am replying to an email at 9pm it is probably not going to make much sense so I try to log off with enough time in the evening to have some well-earned me-time.

Aside from my day to day responsibilities I try my best to play an active role in the wider EA community such as taking part in our Women's Ultimate Team events. More recently my colleague and I were also part of the team who successfully won the Channel 4 Diversity awards which has been keeping us very busy as we are working with our advertising agency to tell a true and authentic story about the British South Asian community within football.