FIFA Master Alumni - Where are they now? - Rebecca Giordano

Rebecca Giordano (née Hooper)

Current Position: Senior Legal Counsel for the New Zealand Rugby Players Association

Year of graduation: 2015 (15th Edition)

Nationality: New Zealander

What does your current role involve?

My background is in sports law. Before completing the FIFA Master, I was a sports lawyer with very limited experience in my home country of New Zealand. However, since completing the FIFA Master I have been fortunate to hold roles in the global sports marketing team at adidas International (based in Amsterdam), the legal team at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (based in Bonn, Germany) and various event teams for World Cups. Highlights in those roles include navigating the fallout from the International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF, (now World Athletics) doping corruption scandal; attending the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games as part of the anti-doping team; and managing the COVID-19 pandemic forced postponements of both the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 and the Rugby World Cup 2021.

I am now back in New Zealand working in our national sport (rugby) as the lawyer for the New Zealand Rugby Players Association. This role involves all things legal and strategic ranging from collective bargaining, resolving disputes and general problem solving. No day is the same and I get to work with some of rugby’s finest both in New Zealand and abroad. I love it!
 

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

The FIFA Master opened doors for me that would have very likely stayed firmly closed. The exposure to invaluable connections and insights in the world of sport was, without a doubt, the aspect of the FIFA Masters that helped me to best set up my career. When you come from a tiny county at the bottom of the world, you assume the world stage is huge. The funny thing is it actually isn’t. It’s small and, oh so, connected. And the world of sport even more so. The FIFA Master teaches you that and to make the most of, and truly value, all those connections.

What advice would you give to future students?

My advice to any future students is to make sure you appreciate every moment that you get to spend with your classmates. You will learn so much from them without even knowing it at the time. As cliché as it sounds, time will fly. Make the most of all the opportunities presented to you – go to every class outing and social event. You never know who you will meet and how it may change you.