Graduate Lands Dream Role with England Netball

A University of Worcester graduate has landed what she describes as her dream job working for England Netball.

Dani Kennedy has a job as a Marketing Executive with the national governing body of the sport, which manages netball in England, from the grass roots level, to club level, to the Netball Super League right up to the national team.

“I’m so excited to be doing what I want to be doing as a dream job, working with professional athletes in a professional environment,” said the 26-year-old, of Malvern.

Dani’s role involves leading on different marketing campaigns, including social media and working on match days in a variety of roles. As England Netball also manage the national side, Dani will also be helping with covering international games too.

“I never really expected to have my dream job so young, but it’s a huge dream of mine to work for my favourite sport, for my country,” she added.

Dani followed up a Sports Coaching and PE HND (now foundation degree) in 2019 by completing a degree in Sports Studies in 2021. She then took a PG Cert in Coaching and Tutoring. For the past five seasons she has handled the social media for the former Severn Stars netball franchise, which concluded its final season in June.

“Just as one door closes another one opens,” said Dani. “I’m gutted about Stars, but that has given me so much experience to go for this role and get it. Without Stars I don’t think I would necessarily have got into social media. It’s opened so many doors.

“Obviously being a huge netball fan, I’m always watching it, always following it on social media, so it’s being that person to help drive the sport forward into the new professional era by marketing it and getting to continue working with athletes showcasing them and building the sport.”

Since she started playing at a young age, Dani has always been passionate about netball, going on to play at club level in Coventry where she grew up and for the University of Worcester’s BUCS (British University and Colleges Sport) team.

She said work-based placements during her studies, including with Severn Stars, as well as mock interviews and presentations proved helpful when going for the job. “All of this has helped me. I used to be bad at presentations but now I had to do a presentation for my interview and it comes naturally for me,” she said.