Graduations 2026: From charity champion to content creator

Published on 13, January, 2026

A talented footballer who raised thousands of pounds for charity while studying his master’s degree is reflecting on his time at the University of Sunderland as he celebrates his graduation.

Team Sunderland Men’s Football president Danny Jackson-Brown is graduating with a degree in MSc Finance and Management having already landed a job creating content for sports stars.

As he joins hundreds of students crossing stage at The Fire Station this week (Monday 12 January – Friday 16 January) for the University’s winter graduation ceremonies, Danny, 25, from Sunderland, has been sharing some of his own student highlights. 

Charity work

Throughout his studies, Danny has been involved with the running of the University football club with a big focus on charity work.

In 12 months (from October 2024 to October 2025), through themed matches and sea dips, Team Sunderland Men’s Football raised almost £13,000 for different charities, including If U Care Share, a Chester-le-Street-based charity dedicated to suicide prevention and bereavement support, which received £1,335.

The team’s fundraising efforts were recognised at his year’s Team Sunderland’s annual Sports Ball which took place at Ramside Hall in Durham to celebrate the outstanding achievements of students and clubs throughout the season.

Danny said: “Charity games are something that hold great intangible value to our club and its members. We can bring people together and showcase all the immeasurable positives football brings to our lives.”

Creative journey

Danny’s unexpected journey into media began when he became a member of the University football club’s committee, expressing a keen interest in overseeing their social media.

Danny explained: “My vision was to create a platform that would gain us internal and hopefully external recognition and identity. It was a lot of hard work, but it was a complete success transforming the image of the club online gave us access to some many new avenues and opportunities.

“My work here is graphic, video and other types of media across all platforms in professional football, which for me was a crazy step up at first.

“In about nine months I had gone from making videos about our 7^th team at university to having the opportunities to earn money creating about something I’m truly passionate about, to an enormous audience.

“The work I completed here got me noticed by the company I now work for as well as other clients that I have.”

However, Danny admits a career in the media was not what he originally had planned.  

Danny, who studied an Accounting and Finance degree at the University before his MSc, said: “To be totally honest, media wasn't ever a professional path I saw myself going down due to my accounting background.

“Creating was just something I enjoyed doing for fun. However, sometimes great opportunities take you by surprise and it was one that I knew I had to try regardless of whether it had always been the goal.”

Life after graduation

So, what's next for Danny?

“I like to stay focused on what I'm doing and not get carried away thinking too far ahead,” he said.

“I’ve developed my skillset and, at the same time, been able to branch out in the media. I was recently invited to Sky Sports to talk football which is huge step from making away day vlogs for university football. This opportunity has been great for my media career. I never would have thought anything like this could happen and I’m excited to see what could be after university.”

Sean Percival, Sport Performance and Activities Development Manager at Team Sunderland, said: “Danny has been an integral part of our football programme throughout his time at the University, with outstanding contributions both on and off the pitch.

“He’s been a fantastic ambassador for the University’s football club and his work with the social media accounts as well as charity events will be a tough act for anyone to follow. Congratulations to Danny on your graduation and good luck for the future.”

Team Sunderland offer a wide range of sporting opportunities across the University, They look after over 30 clubs that compete both nationally and locally and oversee the management of community outreach, elite and performance sport, participation and many other projects.

For more information on Team Sunderland, click here.

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