Pioneers' Daehling balances two internships with eye on dream job

Platteville, Wis.- University of Wisconsin-Platteville upcoming senior Grace Daehling has always dreamed of working for her favorite soccer team Liverpool, of the English Premier League. The Sun Prairie, Wisconsin native and sprinter on the Pioneer women's track team is getting first-hand experience working with a soccer club during one of her two summer internships, with an eye on someday working for Liverpool.

"My absolute favorite soccer team is Liverpool," Daehling said. "It has been my dream forever to work for them in some way, shape or form. I don't even care what it is."

Applying for a job with Liverpool will have to wait for at least a year. After transferring from Lakeland College, Daehling still has one year left at UW-Platteville before graduating with a degree in business administration with an international emphasis and a minor in sports administration.

Daehling is currently spending her summer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and completing two internships with two athletic organizations. After getting the blessing from her sister, who is Minnesota Vixen rookie Corey Daehling, she applied for an internship with the Minneapolis-based professional female football team.

"I texted my sister one day and asked her how mad she would be if I applied for an internship with the Vixen," said Daehling. "She was like 'yes, do it, just do it.' So, I applied and got the job."

Daehling had sent an email to Minnesota Vixen Owner and President Laura Brown to apply for the internship. She received a return email from Brown along with an application for an internship with the Minneapolis City Soccer Club (MCSC). She applied for that position as well and ended up accepting both.

"I had told both organizations that there would be a couple of game conflicts, but otherwise I was willing to do both and put my effort towards both of them," Daehling said. "Laura and Sarah Schreier from MCSC both agreed to work with me on that."

Daehling stood out during an open Zoom forum with Schreier and other potential interns. "I loved that Grace was one of the few that spoke up, asked questions and joined the discussion. It helped her stand out. I definitely remembered her," said Schreier, the director of operations for MCSC. "Grace is the first UW-Platteville intern we have had. She interviewed well, seemed prepared and has been responsive. Given these attributes and her raw skill set being a personable, friendly and approachable staff member, she's a star!"

Daehling's duties with the MCSC include set up and tear down at Augsburg College's soccer complex, placing upcoming game posters around the cities to attract fans and being a liaison to officials during home contests.

"Grace plays a critical role in our gameday operations," Schreier said. "She does a great job with interacting with fans and creating a fun, engaging and entertaining evening for everyone. You can tell she has experience in both playing and attending games. Her instincts are spot on."

"Grace has been professional and a wonderful presence for the club," MCSC General Manager and Technical Director Adam Pribyl said. "You can tell she is an athlete and has a passion for athletics."

Daehling followed through with her promise of giving it her all for both organizations.

"Grace prioritizes her duties and is very well organized," Brown said. "She does a great job of communicating if events overlap and sets reasonable expectations for timelines of what she can accomplish."

As with MCSC, Daehling made a positive impression on Brown.

"I was struck by Grace's level of professionalism and willingness to ask questions to ensure she understood the challenges ahead of her," Brown said. "She quickly demonstrated herself as committed, thoughtful and eager. Working with her for this short time, it became apparent that she would be able to work independently yet had a grasp of when to ask questions."

Daehling is more involved with social media with the Vixens and typically works only on game days. She obtains videos and photos during games that the Vixens use to create video highlights and promos for upcoming games. As the Vixens prepare for the playoffs, Daehling will be tasked to help with getting staged promo photos and videos to help build the Vixens' brand.

"Grace is the first UW-Platteville connection I have worked with," Brown said. "She has been very prepared and professional. She understands the business needs as well as the athletes' passion for the game. She has been able to intertwine them successfully."

After spending two years at Lakeland College, Daehling felt she needed a change and reached out to Head Women's Soccer Coach Emily Ryan and Assistant Track Coach Patricia Laufenberg about transferring to UW-Platteville. After transferring, Daehling decided that track was going to be her only sport to participate in.

With a year left, Daehling has options, one of which is joining the Navy. Another option would be to pursue a graduate education in the area of sport administration.

Before she gets back to campus and her internships ends, Daehling has a project that she would love to do.

"I reached out to Sarah and the heads of MCSC about a really big project that could do really big things for the club," she said. "I don't want to reveal that yet, but if it is something I am able to do it is going to be huge."

Huge enough that it could help her land her dream job with Liverpool.