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LWU graduate Alina Hoberg got to witness sports history By Duane Bonifer Alina Hoberg was 12 years old when she watched her country lift soccer's biggest trophy in 2014. Twelve years later, the Lindsey Wilson University graduate was watching the World Cup unfold again, except this time, she helped build the operation making it happen. "It was the best feeling in the world when Germany won," said Hoberg, a native of Germany. "I've watched soccer literally all my life, and so getting an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the World Cup like I did made the whole experience so much more meaningful." After Hoberg graduated in 2024 from Lindsey Wilson with a bachelor's degree in recreation, tourism and sports management and a minor in business administration, she pursued a master's degree in sport business at Temple University. Hoberg started out with the World Cup as an employee engagement intern in January. She helped run events and organize employee engagement activities for the 16 World Cup offices spread throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States for the tournament that ran from mid-June through mid-July. After her internship concluded in May, Hoberg was promoted to a sustainability and human rights coordinator in the World Cup Miami office, where she worked on inclusion, anti-discrimination, safeguarding and environmental strategies for the 48-team tournament. "I was also asked to deploy to Atlanta to support our workforce operations team," said Hoberg. "I said yes without really knowing what to expect, and it turned into one of my favorite parts of my whole experience. I was only there for about two weeks before heading back to Miami, but getting to see how a venue actually comes together -- all the planning, the training and the small details nobody notices -- was truly incredible." One of the "small details" Hoberg noticed in her job was the different kinds of grass used at the various World Cup sites. "There's so much happening behind the scenes that the regular fan would never even imagine," she said. "One example I always like to tell people is that we have a whole pitch management team. People who literally research to see which kind of grass fits in which stadium, based on the weather conditions of the area and other conditions, such as whether the stadium has a roof. So every stadium had a different kind of grass, and most fans probably didn't realize that." 'OK, this is a World Cup' Although Hoberg spent a lot of her time working behind the scenes, she got to see a few World Cup games in person. She said that while watching the opening match between co-host Mexico and South Africa on a television screen in the Miami office with co-workers was a moment when the special opportunity she was experiencing working at the biggest single sporting event in the world sunk in. "We had lots of TVs around us, and it was a weird feeling to think, 'OK, this is a World Cup, and I'm actually part of it. I'm actually sitting in the office that's making it happen,'" she said. "That was the biggest moment where I had to stop, take a deep breath and realize that it's actually happening and that I was part of it." In addition to being part of sports history, Hoberg said she learned about the culture of FIFA, the international soccer governing body that runs the World Cup. And she made valuable professional connections. "One of the biggest things I learned is that connections go a long way, especially in the sports industry," she said. "The people you meet are what make the experience special. It was incredible to work with so many talented people who were all willing to help each other out -- we all knew we were just a piece of the same puzzle." Hoberg was a sprinter on the Lindsey Wilson track and field team, then after an injury transitioned to helping coach the long jump and high jump events. She said that working on the World Cup helped her rethink a goal she's had since childhood. "When I was younger, I always wanted to be part of the Olympics," she said. "At the time, I wanted to make it as an athlete. Now, one day I want to be part of the team behind the scenes at the Olympics." Just like she was at the 23rd installment of the World Cup. This story was posted on 2026-08-27 13:56:10
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