Beyond the Game: Future Careers Academy Scores Big with FIFA 26-Inspired Career Day

As Atlanta prepares to take the global stage for FIFA 26, the Future Careers Academy is ensuring our youth are ready to lead the industries that power it. Through an incredible collaboration with Coca-Cola and FIFA 26, we have spent the past few months engaging young people in critical conversations about leadership, creativity, and career longevity within sports and entertainment.

This April, that momentum culminated in a high-energy, full-scale Sporting Day designed to show our youth that their potential in sports extends far beyond the field.

Designing, Broadcasting, and Leading Behind the Scenes

The sports industry relies on an ecosystem of creative and analytical professionals. To bring these pathways to life, participants spent the day rotating through hands-on corporate simulations centered on key academy pillars:

• Creative Design: Students stepped into the role of brand managers, redesigning local Atlanta team logos.

• Media & Broadcasting: Youth engineered their own “Breaking News” segments, learning the mechanics of sports journalism and production.

• Executive Leadership: Participants analyzed how major sporting events are organized, managed, and executed behind the scenes.

The Power Seat Panel: Representation Matters

A defining moment of the day was our “Power Seat Panel,” which focused on women thriving in top-tier, non-traditional sports corporate roles. We extend an immense thank you to the Atlanta Dream for sending industry experts Aisha Greenlee, Cyone Batiste, and Mia Iverson to share their professional blueprints. Their transparency gave our young ladies a firsthand look at the power of representation in front offices and executive suites.

A Supported Sporting Community

No championship day is complete without community investment. Alongside refreshments, Atlanta Hawks bags, and FC Academy gear, we were honored to distribute sports bras and personal care packs to our young ladies—ensuring they feel completely supported both on and off the field.

While the historic matches of this summer will eventually come to a close, the career pipelines built through the Future Careers Academy are here to stay.