Hello friends! 👋

Welcome to the SportsGrad Newsletter. Each week we take a deep dive into how people are growing their careers in sport.

Here you’ll find insights, tactics and tools to help you win jobs, get promoted, work around the world, make an impact, and still get paid fairly in sport.

Plus the latest on what’s happening in the SportsGrad Community - a private group of legends lifting each other toward the careers of their dreams.

Today we’re deep diving the career journeys of professionals who’s job has lead them overseas ✈️

We’ve put together a list of 7 epic professionals working in roles that have them taken them to all parts of the globe, who we reckon you could learn a lot from. Each professional has been on the podcast, where you can learn even more about their career journey.

Some guests talk about their experience working in the UK, America, Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong and more!

The list covers a variety of roles, all who pursued different career paths to get to where they are now. Each professional comes from a completely different organisation and background, however what they share in common is that they are ELITE.

If your dream job in sport involves travelling the world and living in different countries, check it out.

Enjoy!

#289: How to move from London to Australia and work in sport with George Ludlow

United Kingdom 👉 Melbourne

Interested in making the move to Australia to land a job in sport? Meet George Ludlow, an Account Manager at Gemba who has just made the move from London!

George has transformed his life from leaving behind a career in property he wasn’t passionate about, to now working on some of the most lucrative partnerships in Australian sport, including Toyota’s sponsorship of the AFL, Australia’s biggest sport. To arrive at what he describes as his dream job, George started his quest for a role in sport in Australia almost 8 months ago and has been extremely proactive in his approach.

Check out this episode to learn how he made the move overseas, what he did to stand out, how he felt taking such a big risk, and his best tips on how you can take your career around the world.

#277: Journey from Event Coordinator in Melbourne to NFL Stadium Director with Eray Saban

Australia 👉 Hong Kong 👉 United States

Meet Eray Saban, the Assistant General Manager of ASM Jacksonville and the Director of EverBank Stadium, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As you’ll learn in this episode, Eray is no stranger to a large stadium and event, and all of the challenges that come with it. From sports games, to sell-out concerts, to dealing with the FBI, his job is to make sure that every attendee has a safe and enjoyable experience.

Previously, his roles have included Event Operations Manager at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, Stadium Event Manager at Marvel Stadium, and Event Operations Coordinator at Tennis Australia.

Lots to look out for in this episode, including how to break into the US sports industry, skills needed to manage large-scale events, and how to effectively manage and lead.

#267: 10 years at Toyota on the brand side of sport with Chelsea Guy

Australia 👉 Japan 👉 Australia

Meet Chelsea Guy, Partnerships Manager and Digital Marketing Specialist - she has over 10+ years of experience working with Toyota Australia, and now with major events at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Chelsea is no stranger to a huge partnership, with her role at Toyota leading her to work with the likes of the AFL, and the Australian Olympic Committee.

From the reception and admin team at Toyota, she worked her way up to Senior positions through internal promotions, which led her to living both around Australia, and in Japan to work on the Tokyo Olympics.

In this episode, she talks about her journey through different positions, how they navigated the Olympics through a pandemic, what responsibilities she has in her role, and the skills needed to work in a partnerships team.

If you’re looking to transition from one industry to another, move overseas to work, or learn how to constantly grow and develop within an organisation, this pod is for you!

#264: Journey to Rugby Australia from the ECB and Cricket Australia with Jason Russell-Jones

Australia 👉 United Kingdom 👉 Australia

Meet Jason Russell-Jones, Head of Community Legacy Projects at Rugby Australia.

Australia is hosting the 2027 and 2029 Men's and Women's Rugby World Cups, and RA has the responsibility of leveraging them to grow the game - Jason is one of the people tasked with making that happen.

Jase has an epic background, having worked at the Australian Sports Commission, Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW, and living over in the UK whilst at the England & Wales Cricket Board.

Tune into this pod to learn how he landed roles at dream organisations, navigating overseas travel, and skills that have contributed to his success. We chat about the impact of mentors, and his vision for Rugby Australia’s legacy.

#251: How to move to London and land a job in sport with Commercial Director at DMC Sport with Chris Dobson

Australia 👉 United Kingdom

Meet Chris Dobson, Commercial Director at DMC Sport.

Chris is an Australian living in the UK, whose work includes producing and delivering Participation kits for junior programs like Woolworths Cricket Blast in Australia, and similar with the English & Wales Cricket Board.

With previous experience working at Netball Australia and the Australia Sports Commission, he has a wealth of knowledge surrounding growth, participation, and development success. Chris is also one of the early members of the Mullagh Group a network for Australians working in sport in London.

Chris has been in the UK for over 6 years now, and is well versed in how to make the jump, establish yourself in London and find work in sport.

If you’re interested in making the London move (or any international move) in the future, you’re going to love Chris’ advice.

#243: From Commercial Lawyer to living the dream at the NFL, IOC & Brisbane 2032 with Tom Hickey

Australia 👉 United States 👉 Switzerland 👉 Australia

Meet Tom Hickey, Director of Corporate Development and Commercial Legal Affairs at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Tom has an incredible career journey, having worked as a corporate lawyer before leaving for the US with no job where he landed at the NFL of all places.

This lead him to the International Olympic Committee and then back home to Australia where he became employee #6 for Brisbane Games.

You’ll want to hear Tom’s attitude to work and life that has left him with many incredible stories, plus we dive into what’s happening at Brisbane 2032 with 8 years to go.

#228: Journey to Chief Content Officer at SailGP with Melissa Lawton

Australia 👉 Korea 👉 Australia 👉 China 👉 India 👉 Australia 👉 Austria 👉 United States 👉 United Kingdom

Google: How do I work close to the action in the sports industry all over the world?

A: Follow Melissa Lawton’s career journey.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in the social and broadcast side of sport, you’ll love this chat with the Chief Content Officer of SailGP, Melissa Lawton.

Learn how Melissa’s career started at the Sydney Olympics, took her to India, China, Austria with Redbull, New York with Meta, and now SailGP in London and the US.

So many lessons on growing new audiences, working in TV, grabbing new opportunities, insights into SailGP, and much more.

What’s happening in the Community?

Community Wins ⭐️

Here’s what SportsGrad Members got up to last week...

Billie Lewis is joining Athletes Authority as a Performance and Rehab Intern

Amritpal Singh landed a position as a Program Officer at the Australian Sports Commission

Ethan Wren received a job as a Membership and Ticketing Administrator for the Perth Wildcats

SportsGrad Members have landed over 640+ jobs in sport.

If you've had a win, share it with us in the #wins channel on Discord!

Upcoming Member Events 💛

Members, to join an event, RSVP via Discord.

Pro Member Events:

🎙️ Presenting Masterclass with Ankita Karungalekar - July 10th 12:30pm AEST

🤝 Pro Speed Networking - July 15th 7pm AEST

Do you work in sport? Apply to become a SportsGrad Pro Member

Rookie Member Events:

🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - July 8th 7pm AEST

🎙️ Presenting Masterclass with Ankita Karungalekar - July 10th 12:30pm AEST

🏟️ Career Q&A with Lyndall MacInnes (Australian Olympic Committee) - July 16th 7pm AEST

Do you want to work in sport? Join the list to become a SportsGrad Rookie Member

Job Opportunities 💼

Looking for a new gig? Here’s a few organisations who want to hire SportsGrad Members (see which org in Discord):

🤝 Front of House/Production Assistant - Adelaide (Full-time)

🏏 Club Development Officer x2 - Sydney (Full-time)

💰 Account Executive - Melbourne (Full-time)

🏟️ Event Workforce Coordinator - Melbourne (Full-time)

🥇 Digital Media Executive - Sydney (Full-time)

🏉 Participation & Fan Acquisition Officer - Sydney (Casual)

Need help hiring sports industry talent? Check out our hiring page.

Catch you soon,

Acacia 💛

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