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.

The next round of SportsGrad Meetups are fast approaching, and whether this is your first time or your fifth, it’s completely normal to have those pre-event nerves.

There’s no need to worry though - meetups are fun, casual, relaxed, and the perfect way to just be yourself and meet people in the industry.

Today we’ve put together a few of our favourite networking event tips - just so you can make the most of the night and walk away feeling great 🤝

Before we begin, have you got your Meetup tickets?

They’re creeping up quickly, and tickets are limited! Click on your city below to be directed to the right page. Remember, if you’re a SportsGrad Member, you get a discount - you can find the code in the Community Discord, or message me on LinkedIn and I can help you out!

How you can get the most out of a networking event 🤝

Meetup events are designed so that you can network in a comfortable and relaxed environment, meet epic people and take your career forward.

We’ve put together our best tips to make the most out of a SportsGrad Meetup. Looking forward to seeing you there!

1. Set your goals and intentions 🤔

Identifying why you’ve decided to buy a ticket can help you understand what you want to get out of it, and how you’ll benefit from the night.

Here are a few examples of goals that might fit you:

• New to the sport industry, and don’t know many people?

  Set a goal to meet 10 new people.

• Just moved to the city and keen on meeting some like-minded friends?

  Set a goal to lock in a follow-up plan with someone (watch a footy game, grab a coffee, go for a morning jog…)

• Working on a project, and want to share it with someone?

  Set a goal to get some feedback on it.

Giving yourself a purpose as to why you’re attending will help to generate motivation and allow you to make the most out of it!

2. When in doubt, call a mate ☎️

If coming alone makes you a bit nervy, ask a friend to come along with you!

This tip works well for two reasons -

1. when you need someone to go back to, they’ll be there for you.

2. they can intro you to the people they’re networking with (AKA double the connections)

Additionally, if you know someone who is already attending, ask if they want to catch up beforehand and arrive together! Maybe you’ve been reacting back and forth on LinkedIn, or they’re in your classes at uni… shoot them a message and ask if they want to grab a drink before!

3. Do your research and be yourself 😎

Take some time to have a look over the attendee list on either LinkedIn or Discord and check out who you may want to meet.

Yes, maybe a little bit stalker-ish, but in the nicest form possible. Check out their profile and what they’re up to, to form questions you can ask.

For example…

“I saw that you recently received a new position at the AFL! How’s that going?”, or “Congratulations on finishing your degree, what’s your next step?”

Doing a bit of research can help you start conversations from a more personal angle, and is an easy way to form a connection.

4. Write down a list of names, and follow up ☕️

Chances are, you’ll be meeting a lot of new people, and forgetting names and details is very easy to do.

After you’ve finished chatting with someone, take a quick moment to write down their name, and a stand-out point from your conversation. This means that when you reach out later to solidify that connection, your message is meaningful, and you can lock in that relationship!

We find that quickly ducking off to the bathroom gives you an extra second to do this 😂

For example, a message you might send after connecting with Sekhar would be, “Hey Sekhar, it was great to meet you last night! I’d love to catch up sometime to talk more about your role at Cricket Australia! Let me know when you’re free and we should grab a coffee.”

That’s it!

SportsGrad meetups are the chance to grab a casual drink with the sports industry, and connect with others in a relaxed environment.

Have some food, listen to the epic guest speakers, wear a t-shirt, and don’t treat it as interview! Smile, make a joke, and have fun.

Lastly, don’t forget that if you join the Rookie Community on May 14th, you get access to all SportsGrad Meetups around the country for free!

That’s all for now, grab a ticket and we’ll see you there 💛

What’s happening in the Community?

Community Wins ⭐️

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

Jack McDonald accepted a role with the AFL as a Participation and Fan Acquisition Officer at the AFL

Lyndall MacInnes stepped into another role at the Australian Olympic Committee as a Homefront Project Manager

SportsGrad Members have landed over 610+ 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 - May 21st 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:

🏀 Career Q&A with Thomas Vanehouse (NBL) - May 7th 12:30pm AEST

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

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

🏟 Career Q&A with Jeffrey Leong (MKTG) - May 30th 12:30pm 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 (Members, you check out which organisations they are in the Discord):

🎟 Ticketing & Accreditation Coordinator - Full-time | Melbourne

🤝 Business Development Executive - Full-time | Melbourne

🏏 Cricket Manager - Full-time | Sydney

🏍 Programs & Inclusions Officer - Full-time | Sydney

🏟 Venue Responder - Part-time | Melbourne

🏉 Casual Match Day & Non-Match Day Assistants | Melbourne

🏟 Venue Operations Officer - casual | Melbourne

📞 Customer Experience Officer - casual | Melbourne

🥇 Programs Officer - casual | Melbourne

🏉 Match Day Casuals - casual | Melbourne

🏐 Game Day Volunteers - volunteer | Melbourne

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

Don’t forget to grab your meetup ticket!

Catch you soon,

Acacia 💛

Accelerate your career in sport

The SportsGrad Community makes it 1000x easier to reach your dream.

Join over 700+ Members enjoying...​

🤝  Sports Industry Network: Grow your network in sport and learn from over 700+ like-minded Members from 70+ organisations in a private Discord group

 🤫 Exclusive Job Board: The hidden job market lives in the SportsGrad Community, remove the competition with access to unadvertised roles

💬 Talk to Recruiters: Chat directly to the sports recruiting, get your name out there, and become memorable with companies hiring via Virtual Job Fairs

📚 Premium Resources: Access our library of Masterclasses to learn exactly how others have made it in the sports industry and what companies hire for

🗣 Speed Networking: Grow your network rapidly without sending a single ‘unseen’ cold message

🤑 Discount on Events: Get discounted prices to SportsGrad Meetups featuring panels and sporting events, plus discounts from our partner brands

Click below to learn more about Membership options for job hunters and professionals.

Meet people in the sports industry 🤝

Grow your network with like-minded peers and professionals in sport at our in-person Meetup events.