Finance Apprentice

The Football Association; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports organization in London seeks a Finance Apprentice for a two-year fixed contract. Candidates will support financial processes, gain hands-on experience, and work towards recognized qualifications. This role offers a real opportunity to kickstart a career in finance within a dynamic environment. A competitive salary and diverse benefits are included.

Benefits

Access to event day tickets

Free nutritious lunches

Free private medical cover

Pension scheme

Additional leave days

Hybrid working model

Qualifications

• Must be at least 16 years of age.
• Must not be in full-time education at the start of the apprenticeship.
• Must have maths and English at grade 4/C if aged 16-18.

Responsibilities

• Assist with month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Support Business Partners with divisional reporting and budgets.
• Collaborate with departments to understand budget impacts.

Skills

Interest in finance

Good numeracy skills

Excel experience

Written communication skills

Proactive learning approach

Education

Level 2 Accounts/Finance Assistant qualification

Level 3 Assistant Accountant qualification

Job description

Overview

Finance Apprentice - 2 Year Fixed Term Contract

The FA believes football has the power to unite communities, promote wellbeing, and inspire positive change.

The apprenticeship programme offers an entry into a rewarding career at The FA and an excellent opportunity to develop skills and gain experience within a supportive, inclusive and diverse organisation.

Are you looking to kickstart your career in finance within the exciting world of football? This is not your average finance role. While you won’t be out on the pitch, you will be supporting some of the biggest moments in English football from behind the scenes, helping them manage budgets, analyse data, and ensure great value for the beautiful game.

You’ll gain real-world finance experience, work towards a recognised qualification, and receive mentoring and development from professionals who want to see you thrive.

You will be employed on a two year fixed term contract and will study towards a Level 2 Accounts/Finance Assistant, or Level 3 Assistant Accountant qualification, dependant on your current level of accountancy knowledge or previous qualifications. You will study with CMS Vocational Training.

You will be contractually based at Wembley Stadium.

What will you be doing?

• Support the management accounting and business partnering of a specific area within the FA, with ownership and responsibility from early on.
• Assist with key finance processes such as month-end close, journaling, supporting the accounts payable team with end-to-end approval process, and balance sheet reconciliations.
• To administer the Management Accounting systems.
• Support Business Partners in the production of divisional reporting, the annual budgets and quarterly reforecasting.
• Provide Ad-hoc reporting to the business to help spot trends, highlight opportunities to save money, and identify risks in financial data.
• Collaborate with other departments to understand how budgets support the wider business.
• Take part in cross-team projects to broaden your knowledge of areas such as payroll or financial accounting.
• Use tools like Excel to create, manage, and analyse financial information, and we’ll help you build confidence here.
• Collaborate with others to deepen your understanding of strategic finance, cost-saving strategies, and commercial planning.
• Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.
• As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

What are we looking for?

To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:

• Live within England and have lived within the UK for the last 3 consecutive years.
• Must not be in full time education at the start of your apprenticeship.
• Must be at least 16 years of age.
• If aged 16-18 you will need to have maths and English at grade 4/C and have the certification for this. If not, you will need to sit Functional Skills Level 2 as part of the programme.
• Must not hold a similar higher qualification in the same area of study, although a AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accountancy or L2 Bookkeeping, or equivalent, will be required to complete the Level 3 programme.

This job will require hard work, and we are looking for a candidate who is willing to put in the effort, in exchange for a brilliant opportunity to have a long-lasting career in finance. This is a development opportunity; we don't expect you to have many years' experience or a high level qualification. Instead, we are looking for:

• A genuine interest in finance and a desire to build a long-term career in the field.
• Good numeracy and written communication skills.
• Experience of Excel.
• A positive, proactive, can-do approach to learning new things.
• Initiative and a willingness to ask questions and find solutions.
• The ability to manage your time, stay organised, and keep going when things get tough.
• A commitment to complete the full apprenticeship programme and all associated study modules.
• Enthusiasm for working in a professional environment - this is a real job with real responsibilities.

You may be surprised to know that being a football fan is not a prerequisite of working for the FA. What’s more important is your passion, interest and commitment to the varied work that we do, and the goals that we are aiming to achieve.

Numerical Skills Test

All candidates will be required to complete a Numerical Skills Test as part of their application. This test is a 30-minute online assessment made up of 20 multiple-choice questions. It’s designed to understand how you work with numbers - an important skill for finance roles.

Some questions may feel straightforward, while others may be more challenging. That’s intentional - the test isn’t about getting every answer correct, but about showing how you think, solve problems, and apply your skills. Just give it your best effort.

What’s in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles. We have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, the home of English Football, and access to St. George’s Park in Staffordshire for development and inspiration.

We offer a competitive salary and opportunities to develop in your role, along with a range of benefits, including:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium and regular internal events to connect with colleagues and support wellbeing.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' days leave, volunteering days, and 25 days annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.

Currently, we are working within a hybrid model where the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week and remotely as required. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.