"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." Confucius
IT WAS always going to be sport for Stephen Cleary – his first love. It all started with training for Steelstown at the old rugby ground on the Buncrana Road and many moons later the former Derry GAA player is the Social Media Manager for the football wing of leading sporting brand Adidas.
Last week the County Derry Post caught up with Cleary, on the eve of the Euros, about his journey from Croke Park to Rio and the progression from the corridors of St Columb’s College to the @adidasfootball twitter account and 2.7 million followers.
Life is all about gambles and opportunities but Cleary is a clear inspiration of what can happen if you want something badly enough.
Homework was always submitted on time, but revision didn’t come as easily. It just wasn’t for him. “I was a good pupil but I really disliked studying at school.”
On one occasion his father caught him ‘procrastinating when I should’ve been studying’ and bet the young budding student that he’d know more about sport. His almost instant answer was the initial calling card to his sporting career.
“He bet me that I could name the first goalscorer that season for Liverpool in the Premier League. Of course I knew it was Djibril Cisse, at White Hart Lane in the 38th minute. Sport was just what I loved most.”
The Liverpool team he passionately followed included one Steven Gerrard, who Cleary cited as his sporting idol growing up. The Liverpool and England midfielder has ‘always worn the three stripes’ so it was fitting that Cleary would get to meet him.
Cleary still fondly remembers his early GAA memories, captaining his side to glory in the Primary Schools league. The seeds were sown and it was time to move to the next level.
His skill-set and athleticism gave him a solid platform for a sporting career on the field. A star-studded Steelstown side represented a new dawn as they moved up through the underage ranks at Grade A level.
Former Derry star Eamonn Burns recognised his talent and enlisted him onto the various school teams. Oisin Duffy, Mickey McKinney, Lee Moore, as well as Claudy quartet Paddy Hargan, Paul McLaughlin, Christy Wood and Aidan McLaughlin were his trusted team mates.
Former Derry Minor manager Niall Conway kept tabs on Cleary and when Derry went on an All-Ireland crusade the Steelstown man played a role at wing forward.
The summer of 2007 was equally as exciting as it was hectic and despite his apathy for revision, Cleary saw it as a means to an end. Like all sixth formers, he got himself organised, into the zone and once September came the next step of the journey was on the horizon.
Fast forward through University life and with a degree course in Interactive Multimedia Design to his name, Cleary was at a crossroads. What was going to come next?
“I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do, but I always felt a draw to the internet and digital side of sport. After receiving a 2:1, I began a Masters degree, again at Jordanstown, in Sport Management.”
The penny was about to drop. The marriage of digital skills and sport was about to fuse together and the journey to Adidas was in its infancy. Enter SC1Sports.
It was a sport blog as Cleary explains. “Two mates with plenty of student time on their hands that decided to do some sports blogging and podcasting. I built us a website and we added two more mates to the team.
“We sometimes wonder where it would be if we kept at it, but for one of us, Conán Doherty, it helped propel him into the world of journalism. I used the site to blog about digital/social media in sport and this formed a part of my internship campaign.”
The passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs coincided with Cleary’s Masters Course and his next lightbulb moment. The door of opportunity was about to open.
“We had to find an internship as part of the course, so I used my skillset to come up with the #StevesJob campaign.
“After networking on Twitter heavily I was able to ask two American sport industry leaders to recommend me to a Dutch man who was advertising on Twitter for an intern in the Global Adidas Football team. After a couple of calls, I was offered the internship.”
It was now 2012 and Amsterdam came calling for Cleary. The student days were at an end and the opportunity of a lifetime was there to be grasped. When he was marauding the playing fields of Ireland and kicking points it was the favoured ‘three stripes’ brand on his feet – now he was working for them.
It was like a 'kids in the sweetshop' moment but nothing in life comes easy – nothing worthwhile anyway. It was time for Cleary to make his mark.
How do you stand out from the crowd? “Working hard. Sharing my ideas (good and bad). Providing value. Being dependable. Social media was really growing in the industry so it all fell nicely for me.
“The team was creating headcounts in the area and I had the fortune of being offered a full-time position.”
He bid farewell to Amsterdam and the next port of call was Germany, where he now resides.
“I started as a Community Manager for the global football marketing team. The natural progression then was to move from replying to fans on the global football social media channels to develop my knowledge of social media strategy.”
Gerrard may have been his idol but soon more household names would enter the equation. Messi, Zidane (below), Bale, Suarez and Guardiola.
“I manage the @TeamMessi social media channels now and work on all things social media regarding the world’s greatest ever football player. It’s a lot of hard work but a lot of fun with some great rewards.”
There is a video doing the rounds on Instagram of Messi’s crossbar challenge. The Argentine’s corner kick pinged of the crossbar. Cleary was present at the video shoot and confirmed that the video was indeed ‘the first take’.
Last year Roberto Firmino visited Adidas HQ to sign on the dotted line. Cleary summoned his videographer for yet another project. Or would it be better called a labour of love.
“We worked closely to create some short videos with him (Firmino) and it was great to get the boots on and be on the pitch with him. We created a video which was quite viral around the time he signed for Liverpool.”
Social media and interaction with the customer base is a key element in the Adidas design process.
“It has really grown to become an integral part of marketing strategies so we will be involved in the earliest stages of a boot being developed. We can offer insights into internet culture and our target market through day to day conversation with our communities.”
He is a long way from Ballyarnett or Owenbeg now. He is in his ‘ideal job’ and Cleary describes the experiences as simply being ‘amazing.’
His passport is well populated by this stage. “I’ve attended photoshoots in various European cities but the highlights have been spending the summer of 2014 in Rio, for the World Cup, and the summer of 2015 in Santiago, Chile, for the Copa America.”
The requests from home for free boots are plentiful and with modern technology he keeps in contact with home - but for now, he is staying put.
The Euros are in full flight and in Cleary, Adidas have their social media channels in safe hands. Not bad for a man who had found exam revision a drag.
Gerry Cleary was right. His son’s career path was destined for something different.
Hard work, taking the initiative, mixing in the right circles and a passion to make a career of something close to your heart. Cleary had the vision – and now he is living the dream.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.
