UNION, KY — A Boone County startup wants the next wave of sports business hires to show up on day one already knowing how to make the call.
Rockbeach Training, launching today at RockbeachTraining.com from Union-based Rockbeach, LLC, lets students, recent graduates and career changers practice live sales calls with 175+ AI customers who respond in real voices, in real time. Every answer is graded with the reason why, and those who finish earn a certification employers can verify online.
Ticket and sponsorship sales is one of the most common ways into a sports career, and one of the hardest first jobs to prepare for. Most new hires make their first real call to a real fan. Rockbeach moves that first call into practice: 17 modules and 4,400+ practice situations inside Rockbeach University, a fictional athletic department with its own stadium, ticket office, CRM and ticketing system.
It’s a costly first call. A study published in the journal Sport, Business and Management found that one in four entry-level ticket salespeople left within their first year.* Employers see the gap too. In the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2025, 96% of employers rated communication skills important for new hires, but only 53.5% rated new graduates proficient.
Founder Anthony F. Di Fino spent more than 20 years in college athletics revenue, including years at Syracuse, most recently as Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Revenue Officer at the University of Cincinnati in the Big 12 Conference.
“I hired a lot of first-year reps. The best ones practiced their soft skills with a focus,” said Di Fino. “Students deserve those reps before the job starts, with a coach that explains every grade.”
HOW IT WORKS
– Practice: live AI phone calls using tap-to-talk on your phone or browser.
– Get graded: every answer comes with reasons and immediate feedback.
– Prove it: a certification employers can verify online.
THE ROCKBEACH ECOSYSTEM
– For the individual. RockbeachTraining.com is built for students and individuals who want to get noticed, and trained. The Individual plan is $19.99 a month, or $199.99 a year.
– For the professor. Professors are always free. They send one join link to their class; students pay $4.50 a week for the term the professor sets. Professors arrange the modules and set the pace, and we do the grading.
– For the employer. A sales manual and training course built from the organization’s own season, seats, and prices, built to cut onboarding time. Managers read every answer and can overrule any written grade.
– For a new manager. A track that develops the manager as a leader and technical advisor, from pricing, to “managing up,” to desk-side coaching.
BY THE NUMBERS
– 175+ AI customers who respond in real voices, in real time.
– 4,400+ practice call situations.
– 17 modules from the first call to the last.
– Every answer graded, with the reason why.
– $0 to start: a free practice call and a free baseline assessment.
PRICING
– A free practice call, no sign-up.
– A free baseline assessment, no credit card.
– Individuals: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year.
– Professors: free. Students in a class pay $4.50 a week.
* Pierce, Wanless, Popp, Sattler and Shreffler, “Attrition in entry-level ticket sales positions: a survival analysis,” Sport, Business and Management, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2023), pp. 289–305. Analysis of 1,122 entry-level ticket salespeople listed in team media guides, 2015–2019.
MEDIA CONTACT
Anthony F. Di Fino, Founder & CEO
press@rockbeachllc.com
315-382-2573
RockbeachTraining.com/press
