Central Insider: From Central to the Lionesses

(Photo by Rafaella Macintosh/Impetus Football)

Manchester Central have long been a club that have shown pride in helping individuals progress in their careers, but that doesn’t just include those on the pitch.

Rafaella Macintosh, aspiring photographer has developed well at Central behind the camera, showing us all the action and drama with just one click of a button on matchday.

From clicking away at Central’s fixtures, Rafaella now finds herself at St George’s Park for the England Women’s side, an exciting opportunity for progress in her young career.

The women’s game is a sport on the up and Raffaella has now joined a sport that she can develop alongside, and one that can bring about several valuable opportunities that will allow her to establish herself in the industry.

She found her way to Central through her course at UCFB, where she has studied Football Communications and Digital Marketing, and has aimed to focus on honing her skills through her opportunity at Central.

Rafaella is another individual who has found greater opportunities off the back of their time at the club, proving their reputation on and off the pitch of the avenues that open through Central into the industry.

Speaking on her time at the club she added:

“I first got started at Central through UCFB. I saw it as a good chance to gain some early work experience in the industry. Being at Manchester Central has been an opportunity that I needed to take on to kick off my career in the industry.”

Rafaella has now been at the club for two years and has been able to be a part of a club who look to improve year on year, giving her the perfect environment to begin to learn key skills and develop on the job.

The countless photos Rafaella has taken during her time with Central has not only enabled her to hone her craft but has also provided her with different openings into the industry, having the chance to put her work at Central on full display.

She jumped at the invitation she got to go down to St George’s Park and snap away at an England Women’s training session with Women's News Company Impetus Football, her most recent exploit behind the camera.

“It was honestly a dream to go and take photos of the Lionesses at such an iconic venue.

Obviously, it was a new experience, but I feel such a valuable one for the progress of my career being in a professional setting like that, and it was a place where I learnt important lessons that I will carry forward.”

(Photo by Rafaella Macintosh/Impetus Football) Find out more about Impetus Football here.

Rafaella finished explaining the opening that Central has given her, adding the value that her time at the club will have on her aspiring career, and the opportunity the club gave her to kick it off.

“My time at Central has really given me the chance to get behind the camera and enable the freedom to get practical and work on my skills. The club has provided the opportunity to thrive, and it has been an experience that I will remember as the opening of my career.”

If any students are interested in starting a career in this industry and want to begin learning and developing their skills, Central's arms are always welcome and can be contacted at Josh@manchestercentralfc.com