Five Elon students recently received a warm welcome in Italy as they became the first cohort to participate in the university’s new experiential learning partnership with Lumos Pistoia Basket 2000, a professional basketball club in Tuscany.
A new chapter in Elon University’s global sport education programming officially began Sept. 7 in Pistoia, Italy.
Five Elon students arrived in the Tuscan city as the inaugural cohort participating in the university’s partnership with Lumos Pistoia Basket 2000, a professional basketball organization, and the Accademia Europea di Firenze (AEF). Their arrival was marked by a warm welcome from the club as the students prepare to begin a semester combining study abroad with hands-on experience in the professional sport industry.
As part of their initial visit, the students explored Pistoia’s historic center before making their way to LumoSquare, the 3,835-seat home of Pistoia Basket and a growing community hub. Accompanied by Professor Marco Bracci and Elisabetta Santanni, academic director of AEF/Elon University in Florence, the group toured the facility, met members of the club staff, and received a personal welcome from Pistoia Basket President Joseph Mark David.
The visit offered the students their first look at the organization, where they will soon become part of the day-to-day operations. Beginning in mid-September, they will work alongside Pistoia Basket staff on projects involving sport management, marketing and social media.
“This experience is over a year in the making and couldn’t have come together without the amazing work of our partners at AEF, especially Elisabetta Santanni and Marco Bracci,” said David Bockino, professor of sport management. “As we launch the partnership this semester, we’re already discussing how to make it accessible to more students moving forward. The reception on campus has been great – we have students lining up to participate in the future.”
A global professional experience
Announced last fall, Elon’s partnership with AEF and Pistoia Basket was developed in collaboration with the Department of Sport Management to expand experiential learning opportunities for students studying in Florence. It combines two hallmarks of an Elon education – global engagement and professional experience – placing students inside a European professional sport organization while they study abroad.
“This experience was the logical next step as Elon grows its sport-related experiences,” Bockino said. “As a university, we’re great at study abroad and at helping our students get internships. Why not put those two together? When these students eventually hit the job market, they’ll arrive with a true resume differentiator: an internship with a professional Italian basketball club that allows them to better understand sport from a global perspective.”
As part of a mentored, two-credit internship with Pistoia Basket, students will spend approximately 10 hours each week gaining practical experience in event operations, fan engagement, marketing, communications and social media. Their responsibilities will be tailored to their academic backgrounds and professional interests.
For example, students interested in media analytics may evaluate the club’s social media performance, while students studying sport management or strategic communications will work to increase Pistoia Basket’s visibility among college students studying abroad in Florence. Participants will also meet regularly with accompanying professors and complete applied and reflection-based assignments.
The cohort will also contribute to a video storytelling project designed to introduce Pistoia Basket to new audiences in the United States. Funded by the Elon Innovation Council and coordinated through Elon’s Sports Media Lab and Elon Sports Vision, the project will use footage captured by the students to tell the story of Pistoia’s 2026-27 season. According to Bockino, the resulting videos are expected to appear on Elon social media channels and during Elon Athletics broadcasts.
This fall’s inaugural cohort includes Robbie Pataky ’28, a strategic communications major; Amelia Weaver ’28, a sport management and media analytics double major; Riley Greenwald ’28, a sport management major; Olivia Tichnor ’28, a marketing major; and Max Edelstein ’28, a sport management major.