Arthur Quaye believes in paying it forward.
Arthur, now age 24, is a 2014 Masonic Children’s Home alumnus and 2018 Bloomsburg University graduate. He currently works as an inside sales representative for the Philadelphia Union soccer team in Chester, Pennsylvania.
In August, he invited children’s home youth to attend a home soccer game against the Houston Dynamo at Talen Stadium, where they mingled with residents from the Masonic Villages at Elizabethtown and Lafayette Hill and enjoyed delicious food and drinks on the pre-game party deck.
“I reached out to Joe Murphy (Masonic Villages’ CEO) about doing this event,” Arthur said. “He was really receptive to the idea and helped me set it up with the help of Bill Kingsbury (CEO-Elect). It was my way of giving back. I thought the kids could use some advice and encouragement. Like, ‘this kid graduated from the same place as you and he’s out chasing his dreams. You can do that, too.’”
In 2009, Arthur was living with his father in Philadelphia when he moved to the Masonic Children’s Home based on a teacher’s recommendation. While at the children’s home, he was a student athlete, excelling in track and field, football and basketball.
While moving from the big city to Elizabethtown was an adjustment, his interest in sports made things easier. “I made a lot of my closest friends through sports,” he said. “Some of my best friends to this day are from Elizabethtown.”
Arthur went on to attend Bloomsburg University (of Pennsylvania), where he played football and track and field, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with an emphasis in public relations (PR) and a minor in political science.
When it came time to choose a career, Arthur knew he wanted to do something with sports. Bloomsburg didn’t have a sports management program, so he thought it was best to pursue PR.
After college, Arthur completed an internship with a PR firm in Philadelphia and also with the Penn FC soccer club (PFC, formerly known as the Harrisburg City Islanders) to gain additional sports industry experience.
“I would go to a bunch of events all around Lancaster County, trying to grow the brand of PFC, because it was their inaugural year,” he said. “That was my first experience with professional sports. I stayed five months, and once I saw the job posting at the Philadelphia Union, I applied for it.”
Arthur has been working with the Philadelphia Union since March 2019. He and several other sales representatives sell various types of tickets (group tickets, season tickets, etc.), while at the same time trying to drum up new business.
The job aligns with Arthur’s career goals because he loves sports and always wanted to work in a high-paced, dynamic industry.
“Building a background in sales is important because I want to work in business, and generating revenue is a good background,” Arthur said. “My dream job would be to work for a sports management agency (as a marketing representative or in sponsorship sales).” Down the road, he hopes to earn his master’s degree in sports business or law.
For now, Arthur is enjoying his time spreading the word about the game of soccer in Philadelphia.
“We haven’t been around as long as the other Philadelphia sports teams (2010), so we’re still growing our fan base,” he said. “A lot of what we do is reaching out to people through cold calls and events, getting people to learn about Union soccer.”
Arthur works five days a week and attends every home match on weekends and sometimes during the week. There are two home matches a month, from March through October, and 18 home games per season.
“On match day, I get to the stadium early, meet up with groups, do seat visits and work the ticket headquarters, as well as different sales tables around the stadium,” he said. “It’s very busy.”
Arthur credits the children’s home with instilling in him a solid work ethic. “Balancing my time and putting enough time into academics and studies was heavily emphasized there,” he said. “Also, growing up with people from different backgrounds helped me to communicate with different types of people and personalities, which definitely prepared me for what I’m doing now.”
He said he also learned the value of hard work, persistence, determination and enthusiasm.
“If you’re putting your all into it, you’re getting your all out of it. You’re not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.”