Insurance Firm Gallagher Pioneers Athleteโฃ Internship Program
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Cary, North Carolina – August 17, 2025 – Insurance brokerage firm Gallagher is โฃredefining its talent acquisition strategy by โactively recruiting professional athletes โfor internships, providing a unique bridgeโข to post-sports careers and injecting fresh perspectives into the industry. The program, launched in 2024, aimsโ to leverage the โคdiscipline โขand teamwork honed by athletesโข in a corporate surroundings.
A โNew โฃPathway for Athletes
Gallagher expanded its internship offerings last year to include โpositions specificallyโ for professional athletes, recognizing โthe transferable skills โฃthey possess. โChris Mead, Gallagher’s chief marketing officer, emphasized the valueโ athletes bring to the company.โข “They know what it’s like to work hard and how longโ thatโฃ path is toโ get to success,” mead stated. “They know what it’s like to be part ofโ aโ team and how to lead one.”
This year, the program welcomed eight athletes fromโข the National Women’s Soccer League’s Chicago โStars. Leilanni Nesbeth, a โฃcurrent midfielder, and Chardonnay Curran, aโข former midfielder, both โseized โthe chance for a paid internship. “It meansโฃ a lot for us to be able to โget our foot in the door,” Nesbeth shared โขin a โrecent interview.
Curran, who had not previously held a corporate โคposition,โข noted, “Being a pro soccer player was my first career, andโค I’ve never been inโค aโฃ corporate setting.”
Did You Know? The average National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) salary is approximately $125,000 per season,โฃ highlighting the need for athletes to proactively plan forโฃ financialโ stability beyond their playing careers.
Programโ Structure and Benefits
The Gallagher Partnership Internโค Program debutedโค in โข2024 with four playersโ from the National Football League’s โขAtlanta Falcons. The six-week โprogram provides participants with โฃbuisness experience, professional skill development, โขcareer mentorship, โฃand anโฃ immersive understanding of insurance brokerage, sales, and โขcorporate culture. Gallagher tailors the program to accommodate the demanding schedules of its athlete interns.
Theโ initiative โaddresses a critical need โคfor athletes, whose careers are โoften short and financially โฃunpredictable. According to research on career transitions for athletes, proactive planning and skill diversification areโ crucial for long-termโ financialโ security [[1]].
Nesbeth jokinglyโฃ remarked, “We went in there knowing nothing โคabout insurance, and now I could probably bore your head off โabout RPS,” referencingโข “risk placement services,” a key industryโ term.
Curran found the experience challenged her preconceptions about the insurance sector. “After doing the internship, everything I โthought about insuranceโ wasโ the exact opposite,” she explained.
Notably,Curran and the Chicago โStars mutually agreed to terminate her โคcontract shortly after โherโ CNBCโฃ interview. Mead indicated that Gallagher โฃhas extended full-time employment offers to several athlete interns following the completionโฃ of their playing careers. Heโข also โshared thatโข the company employs aโค former โprofessional rugby player as a โtop salesperson in Europe.
“There’s a time when the light โbulb goes off and they see howโข celebrating a win โฃonโฃ theโข pitch is no different than celebrating a win โฃafter a sale or doing something fantastic for โคa customer,” Meadโ told CNBC.
Pro Tip: For athletes consideringโ a career transition, identifying transferable skills – leadership, teamwork, discipline, resilienceโข – โis a crucial first step.
Industry-Wide Trend
Gallagherโ is โคnot โalone in recognizingโข the potential of athlete engagement.Stateโค Farm has long utilized prominent athletes like โฃEli Manning, Reggie โฃMiller, Patrick Mahomes,โข and Caitlin Clark in itsโฃ advertising campaigns. AIG recently announced a strategic investment in Salford Cityโฃ Football Club, a League two club โin the U.K.โ . Nationwide, a partner ofโ the โNWSL, also offers a similar internship program at its โขColumbus, Ohio headquarters, โขaiming to provide league players with professional development opportunities. Jim McCoy, Nationwide’s vice president of sportsโ marketing,โ stated,โ “Our hope isโข that the players walk awayโค withโฃ new skills and experiences that may serve them now and in their โคpost-playing careers, perhaps back โat Nationwide.”
| Company | Program Focus | Athlete โขFocus | Year Launched |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher | Internship & Full-Time Employment | NFL, NWSL | 2024 |
| Nationwide | Internship & Professional โฃDevelopment | NWSL | Ongoing |
| AIG | Strategic Investment & Partnership | Soccerโ (Leagueโ Two) | 2025 |
| Stateโ Farm | Brand Ambassadorship | Various Sports | Ongoing |
What skills do you think are mostโ transferable from professional athletics to the corporate world?โ How can companies best support โathletes in making successful career transitions?
Looking Ahead: The Future of Athleteโ Career Transitions
The trend of companies actively recruiting athletes reflects a growing awareness of the valuable โskills andโข experiences they bring. As professional sports continue to evolve, andโค athletes increasingly prioritize long-term โfinancial security, we can expect โขto see โขmore innovative programs designed to facilitate successfulโ career transitions. This includes a focus on financial literacy, mentorship opportunities, and skill-based training tailored โขto the needs of the corporate world. The intersection of sports and business is poised for continued growth, creating mutually beneficial partnerships that empower athletes and strengthen organizations.
Frequently โฃAsked Questions
- What isโค Gallagher’s โPartnership Intern Program? It’sโค a six-week program offering athletes business experience, skill development,โข and โmentorship.
- Which sports leagues are involved in these internship programs? Currently, the NFL, โฃNWSL, and European rugby are โขrepresented.
- what benefits do athletes gainโ from these internships? They gain valuable โbusiness skills, career mentorship, and a pathway to post-sports employment.
- Is thisโ a new trend? While athlete endorsements โare common, direct internship and โขemployment programs are a relatively recent development.
- What โis the average NWSL salary? The averageโ NWSL salary is approximately $125,000โค per season.
- Why are companies targeting athletes? Athletes possess โvaluable transferable skills like teamwork, leadership, and discipline.
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