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.

Meet Sekhar Sridhar, an International Student who recently received a full-time position at Cricket Australia, as a Customer Support Coordinator.

Sekhar was one of the first 10 people to become a SportsGrad Member back in 2020, and he has been demonstrating the positive results of consistent dedication and perseverance ever since.

We interviewed him back in July 2023, and talked about he landed his initial contract role at Cricket Australia. However, a month before his contract was due to end, his role was converted to full time.

Check out how he did it below 👇

Before we begin…

We’re super excited to be re-opening the SportsGrad Rookie Community on the ✨ 14th of May ✨

This is your chance to take that first step to break into the sports industry.

However, if you’re wanting a few more details before you make the leap, we totally get it.

To learn more about what SportsGrad is and what it looks like behind the paywall, come along to our first ever Community Info Night!

We’re going to chat about who SportsGrad is for, what’s inside the Community Discord, and how you can make the most of it.

If you have any questions about joining the SportsGrad Community, there will be time to ask at the info night, or message me on LinkedIn.

See you there (or share with a friend) 💛

How this International student from India landed a full-time job at Cricket Australia

Before we dive into these questions, fill us in on what you had gotten up to the last time we caught up in July 2023?

When this blog was last updated (July 2023), I had signed my Customer Support contract extension at CA and was holidaying at home in Chennai, India. Then in February this year, the contract conversion to full-time happened. Between the two, I got to be involved in the following two events at CA which are of immense significance to me.

1. Being part of the Multicultural Action Plan taskforce to drive the CA 2022-27 strategy and grow the game among multicultural communities living in Australia. In August, I was fortunate to be invited to a special forum with stakeholders convened from across Australian Cricket to discuss strategies to grow cricket in the multicultural market. The forum also had SportsGrad podcast guests Joel Morrison and Urmila Rozario, and later in December I assisted with the launch of the action plan on the hallowed turf of the MCG.

2. In January this year, I did a short voluntary stint as Match Manager with the Cricket Operations team, assisting at the Under-17 Male National Championships at Ballarat. My responsibility was to ensure smooth conduct of games at my assigned venues by coordinating with the venue managers, medics, umpires, coaches, captains, scorers, match referees and the CA Ops team. With state teams participating, it provided me with a mini version of a Marsh One-Day Cup/Sheffield Shield equivalent experience.

Apart from CA, I spent the community cricket summer with Prahran Cricket Club where I took on the role of PlayHQ Support Officer. While in my CA customer support role I assist community cricket users from across Australia, in this role at Prahran I become a user myself. Thus this role was more like a ‘practicum’ that complements my regular job. I also undertook matchday video management and online scorer at the club’s secondary home ground, and also inducted and trained volunteers, some of whom are SportsGrad members too.

In the time since then, you’ve been made full-time at Cricket Australia, a month before your contract was due to end! Tell us, what did you do to ensure you were well-positioned to receive a new, permanent contract?

I started working in this role from July 1, 2022 and in a couple of months I was able to get an understanding of the bigger picture of my work – digital transformation of community cricket in Australia. The 8 state and territory organisations were to transition to the new digital platform in a phased manner starting from the 2022-23 summer. This meant that some states would adopt the new platform only after that summer and that was when I decided that I would want to continue in the role even after my first contract expires so that I get to witness the whole of Australian community cricket transitioning into the new platform. Therefore, getting an idea of the bigger picture of my work was a significant stepping stone.

Then after I signed my contract extension in 2023, my manager informed me of the possibility of me getting converted to full-time because of a law stating that contracts must be regularised if employees work a certain minimum number of hours every week. It was a question of budget and a place for me in the organisational structure. Till the actual conversion happened in Feb this year, I continued to work full-time equivalent hours.

Meanwhile in December, came another law change relating to fixed-term contracts that meant I would not be able to continue in the role as a casual once the contract expires in March. All along I engaged in discussions with my manager, the CA HR and the legal team to understand the implications of such law changes and discover possibilities of FT conversion in other departments, if not in Community Cricket. Other than these, I was able to demonstrate my commitment towards CA through my involvement in the Multicultural Action Plan, the U17 Championship, and actively networking across CA, and I believe these efforts have got noticed by key people such as my department EGM, James Allsopp.

Why do you think your contract was made full-time? What did you do to ensure that your managers would want to keep you on?

The main reason, I think, was relentless commitment to the job since Day 1. The role required me to work occasional late hours, weekends during the cricket season and on public holidays and I did not hesitate to take up these varying work hours. I was proactive in communicating with my manager, whether it is seeking feedback about my work, or keeping him informed about outside commitments (Eg. Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Volunteering). I have also shared and vetted ideas with my manager and my EGM James Allsopp and both have been appreciative towards my initiatives. Within my customer support team, I developed a thorough knowledge of the digital platform and helped my teammates whenever in need. Occasionally I have gone above and beyond for customers with gestures such as adding a simple line “All the best to your child for the upcoming cricket season” to their emails.

In short, I was able to demonstrate my commitment to building my career with CA and I think this is what helped me get a full-time conversion.

Have you received any advice from mentors or managers that’s helped you become a better professional?

The one that stands out would be Ryan Walker’s advice to me on 1 July, 2022 (the day I started in this role as a casual) after the SG meetup at Fargo & Co. Something on these lines “Community cricket is a great starting point. Do a great job and it can take you heights”. He was someone who started in CA in the same department in 2017 and the advice from someone who has been there done that was valuable.

It was from my Deakin Uni lecturer Scott Field that I adopted the practice of proactively seeking feedback during the course of work rather than at the end of it. It forces you to stop what is not working, continue what is and change where required to deliver better outcomes.

Then this advice from a pep talk from my coach at Prahran CC in 2021 has stuck with me “Ensure that each of you tick your individual improvement boxes. Once you have done that, help others tick theirs”.

Last but not the least, Reuben Williams’ personal guidance in 2020 and 2021, through which I learnt how to network effectively and to position myself strongly in the sport job market.

What advice would you give to someone whose contract is about to end and is looking for another?

Begin with the end-date in mind! Once you sign the contract, calculate how much time you will have in the role and plan accordingly. Periodically ask your managers for feedback and for opportunities to continue in the same role or another beyond the contract expiry, if you are keen to keep working in that company. If you are looking for a seamless transition to another job, start searching maybe 2-3 months before the contract ends. Irrespective of the tenure of the contract, focus on stamping your personality in your work.

What goals do you have moving forward, both personally and professionally?

My professional goal is to grow to a leadership role in cricket operations and be part of the Australian men’s or women’s international team management at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Personally I want to bring my parents and my sister’s family to Australia and do a country-wide cricket tour with them.

Finally, what does landing a full-time, permanent contract mean for you as an International Student?

Feb 20, 2020 – Land in Melbourne and click a pic of an MCG floodlight from a bus, while seeding the dream of being a lanyard-wearing sport manager around that place.

Feb 19, 2024 – First day of the full-time role at Cricket Australia!

A refreshing feeling to have ticked off a major career ‘box’. A simple bloke from Chennai, India, who was following Australian cricket till 2019, now working in Cricket Australia four years later, two of which were affected by the pandemic, is incredible. Hard work never fails.

What’s happening in the Community?

Community Wins ⭐️

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

Ali Yousif is joining Melb Uni Soccer Club as a team manager

Maanasa Jaganath received an offer to work with Rydalmere FC as a Marketing/Sponsorship intern

SportsGrad Members have landed over 600+ 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:

🤝 Pro Speed Networking - April 23rd 7pm AEDT

✏️ Masterclass with Holly Bailey (Play Like A Girl) - May 23rd 12pm AEST

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

Rookie Member Events:

🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - April 22nd 7pm AEST

🤝 Rookie Speed Networking (New Member Edition)!! - May 14th 7pm AEST

✏️ Masterclass with Holly Bailey (Play Like A Girl) - May 23rd 12pm 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:

🎟 Ticketing & Accreditation Coordinator @ the MCC - Full-time | Melbourne

🏏 Cricket Manager @ Cricket NSW - Full-time | Sydney

🏍 Programs & Inclusions Officer @ Motorcycling NSW

🏟 Venue Operations Officer @ State Sports Centres - casual | Melbourne

📞 Customer Experience Officer @ State Sports Centres - casual | Melbourne

🏉 Match Day Casuals @ Sportable - casual | Melbourne

🏐 Game Day Volunteers @ Melbourne Mavericks - volunteer | Melbourne

Need help hiring sports industry talent? Get in touch with Ryan.

Have a great weekend!

Catch you soon,

Acacia 💛

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