Hello, welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Jobs in Sport! 👋 

Here you’ll find interviews with (almost) every job in the sports industry.
We ask people living the dream:

“How did you get your job?” and “What does it actually involve?”
So that you can land a dream job in sports too.

Enjoy!

#342: How Tuna is helping people land their dream jobs in sport

Meet Tunahan Guner, the Programs Manager at Football NSW.

In this episode, we follow Tuna’s journey being one of SportsGrad’s OG members, to working at Sydney FC in the school programs space, followed by his experience working at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

We breakdown his current role with Football NSW while mentioning some job opportunities there as well, and how he is helping people in their journey to land their dream role in sport as one of SportsGrad’s career consultants.

So if you're looking for a job in sport, book a call with Tuna if you want to learn more about joining the SportsGrad Method Program to give yourself a competitive advantage in the job market and put your career on a rapid new trajectory.

🔥 Quickfire Questions

1. What inspired you to work in sport?
   Being in an elite environment as it was the next best thing to be after being a footballer

2. What was your first sports-related role?
   Sydney FC Community Holiday Clinic Coach

3. What did you study after high school?
   Bach of Business (Marketing and Sport Mgt)

4. What's one interview question you were asked to answer for this role?

   I would ask "what would you say is your favourite personal trait"

5. A book or podcast recommendation that's helped your career?

   Ikigai

6. If you could try another job in sports for a day, what would it be?
   Events Manager for F1

What exactly does your job involve?

Programs Manager - Sporting Schools. Purpose was to build a product for FNSW and ensure the smooth and quality delivery within schools around NSW. Role involves organising new programs, delivering programs with our pool of coaches in which i hired in 2025. Typical day, organising different programs, sending coaches, communicating with teachers and coaches, ensuring every decision is aligned with the strategy we have created. Additionally, currently working on a partnership for our user paid programs to get in a naming rights sponsor.

What are some of the responsibilities of your role?

Stakeholder Mgt, Budgeting, Hiring, Employee Management etc.

What does your career journey look like?

Sydney FC Holiday Clinic Coach

SFC Schools Coach- SFC Intern

SFC Schools Coordinator

SFC Development Officer

FIFA Women’s World Cup Marketing Rights Delivery Coordinator

Screen Producer Australia Sponsorship Coordinator

Colliers Services Manager

FNSW Programs Manager

What challenges did you face to break into sport?

Rejection after Rejection however i continued no matter what.

What do you think makes it difficult to get a job in the sports industry?

Not having a single contact, it’s practically impossible to get an answer especially if you're young.

What are the issues with the sports industry you think people should be aware of before they enter?

Sometimes hard work and dedication can be seen as an opportunity to use and abuse.

How did you decide what career direction to take?

Fell in my path.

Have you ever felt stuck or lost, and if so, how did you decide what path to take?

I have a serious case of "if i feel bored at work for too long" and not feeling mentally stimulated i will leave. Happened at Sydney FC, there was no real progression and very much an unknown whether you were going to the next phase of your career unless a dinosaur left the company. B)yes definitely felt lost, before i would quit and fogure it out but living in Sydney is hard. I did it once and had to sell my Football and Pokemon Cards to keep up with rent. Then i figured it out one step at a time, it was difficult but good life skills. Then i learnt how to make better decisions. If im in a bad role, i will now look to strategically understand my position and move on. The path i take is more so what i feel like doing at stages in my life.

Did you need your degree to do your job? Or could you do this job with a different degree?

Degree was never needed but I have one. Never needed one.

What impact did networking have on your career?

Networking was absolutely huge for my career as it made a huge difference.

How have your professional relationships helped your career?

Pro relationships have assisted with me landing a role and for future roles or networking opportunities.

When you landed your job, what do you think made you stand out?

My hiring manager knew I’d be the right fit for the role as I ensured I walked into the room knowing that I’d leave it all in there along with my experience.

What advice would you give to your younger-self to help them take action?

I feel I did all the correct things. When other departments needed help I’d help to build my skills. Everything I did led me here and the next decision will lead me to where I need to be.

What’s your #1 ‘pinch me’ moment working in sport?

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 - Visa Anthem Experience.

What do you think your life would look like if you hadn't pursued a career in sport?

Some boring corporate job

Others you might like to learn from:

#340: The SportsGrad Story with Reuben Williams

#338: From the AFL, to Cricket NT CEO at 29, to Executive GM at Cricket Australia with Joel Morrison

#337: How Dante beat 99% of Grads to land his dream job at Cricket Australia