Earning his spurs
Alex Caparelli was destined to work for Tottenham Hotspur after his family took him to a game as a young boy.
‘It was against Derby County,’ reveals Alex. ‘My family are massive football fans, especially my dad. My favourite Spurs player growing up was David Ginola.’
Alex earned a BA (Hons) degree at London South Bank University in accounting and finance before deciding to study for the ACCA Qualification with BPP.
‘I chose ACCA as the syllabus has a broad appeal. I didn’t want to simply focus on audit and tax,’ he explains.
Alex, 30, is in his ninth year with the club’s finance department after joining as a management accounts assistant. He was promoted to club commercial management accountant after graduating in 2019.
Retail
‘My association with the club goes back further,’ says Alex. ‘I started working for there as a 16-year-old. I worked in retail on match days before taking a weekend role while at university.
‘I have always enjoyed maths and working with figures, so it is fantastic to combine my two passions.’
Alex didn’t pass all of his exams first time, but was fiercely determined to qualify.
‘It was tough at times,’ he admits. ‘It was intense learning, attending college at weekends while working full time. But I really wanted to become a professional accountant and I was never going to give in.
‘The club put together a study support package and they really wanted me to qualify too. I am not a one-off either – we have a trainee accountant studying ACCA now, while another will start after completing the AAT qualification.’
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Detail
Alex is responsible for six departments – club administration, ticket office, membership and subscription, conference and events, global football development and Tottenham Hotspur Women – ensuring all financial reporting is accurate with attention to detail.
The scale of the club has grown enormously over recent years, fuelled by the construction of its impressive £1bn multi-use stadium in 2019. The enlarged stadium has allowed the club to host a raft of non-match day events such as NFL, boxing, rugby and concerts.
In 2019 the club posted £460.8m a year revenues compared to £196.4m in 2015.
The finance department is located in Lilywhite House opposite the stadium and linked by an accessible bridge.
Work
‘We all have to pinch ourselves that this is where we work, but you soon realise just how much goes on behind the scenes,’ says Alex. ‘There is so much that goes into it.’
He believes that trainees looking to work for the club need drive and enthusiasm and a willingness to develop. He also believes problem solving is another vital asset for trainees.
‘Determination is vital as it will be difficult at times,’ advises Alex.
‘Communication skills are also essential in order to liaise with other departments. Similarly, the presentation of data is key, especially to non-financial departments.
‘The data needs to come alive and really capture the imagination of your audience. Reports need to be snappy and trainees need to be thinking proactively about the best ways to engage the reader and fire up their interest.’
Author: Alex Miller, writer
More information
This article was first published in Student Accountant in July 2022 | Get the SA app now