First Day of Work

To put it simply, this could have been the best day of my life. 

I now have my own desk on the fourth floor of Wembley Stadium. There's not much of a view from there, but the view of the stadium never gets old.

On Thursday morning, I hopped onto the tube with a groggy, yet giddy mentality. The six-hour jet lag had not yet subsided and my unofficial addiction to coffee became clear that morning. Yes, I was tired, the tube was crowded and I wasn't 100 percent sure I was traveling in the right direction -- but all of that didn't matter because I was on my way to my first day as an intern with FATV! 

Equipped with my laptop and coffee, I boarded the Metropolitan Line to head to my first day as a broadcast intern at FATV (official television coverage of the Football Association).

Since I got the call from my former boss with the Sporting Kansas City MLS team in February, I dreamed of this day and how incredible my summer in London had to be. Working for the England FA, seeing premier league stars, going to games, immersing myself in the world of European football... I didn't care what I'd have to do, as long as I could be surrounded by it all and soak in the culture and the journalistic atmosphere. I could learn about reporting and expand my understanding of another "newsroom" -- but doing so by intently watching and interviewing professional athletes is best described as any girl's dream come true. Essentially, I had developed somewhat high expectations for this summer. Besides deciding what I was going to wear that day and researching as much as I could about English football, containing my excitement was my hardest task. 

Joe Worsley, my new supervisor for the summer, met me when I arrived at the FA offices. My surroundings were pretty intimidating; marble floors, glass entranceways, LCD TV screens permanently programmed to Sky TV, and a huge display case of the England national team's cups and trophies proved to be enough for my post-coffee jitters and excitement. Joe first introduced me to the rest of the FATV team, along with the event planning, merchandising and business sponsorship departments close by. Next up, a tour of Wembley.

Pictures just don't do Wembley justice, but I'll do my best to document it as the summer goes on. The original 1928 Wembley Stadium was controversially torn down in 2000, but it's looking amazing now. I believe Joe said it can hold up to 90,000 fans, an upgrade of around 10,000. The archway is the venue's trademark that can be seen for miles and its diameter is said to be wide enough for a tube train to run through it. Fun fact of the day. 

Wembley is the official home of the England national team that will play twice this summer. I'll be working the June 4th England vs. Switzerland game, so check back!

After the tour, I began working on a log of all the videos published in the past year and a half on FATV's YouTube channel. We're planning on putting together pre-packaged segments for future use and prospective pre/post-game shows.

The highlight of the day came around 19:30 (7:30 p.m.) when we lugged the video equipment to Liam Gallagher's "Pretty Green" store opening to interview him about the FA Cup. Needless to say, it was a great first day task. I didn't do anything, really, just consume the free champagne and appetizers, then hold the camera cables -- but it was still a high-class experience I never would have expected.

Great. Day.

Liam Gallagher, former Oasis lead singer, opened his second "Pretty Green" clothing store in London on Thursday, May 19. FATV interviewed him at his event because he attended the FA Cup match and rooted for the winning team, Manchester City.

Manchester City and Stoke vied for the FA Cup on May 14, the day I flew into London. I thought I completely missed out -- but I was actually able to TOUCH the FA Cup after Liam Gallagher's store opening.