Kate Mcqueeny always knew she wanted to work in sport. What she didn’t know was where she’d fit.
It’s a feeling plenty of aspiring sport professionals share. The industry is broad, with everything from playing and coaching to marketing, membership, operations and commercial partnerships, and it’s hard to know which corner suits you before you’ve seen the inside of a few. That uncertainty is exactly why Kate chose the Richmond Institute of Sport and Learning (RISL). Instead of committing to one pathway, she wanted the chance to try different parts of the industry first.
RISL’s placements gave her just that. By experiencing different aspects of sport firsthand, Kate discovered where her interests really lay: the administration and commercial side of the game. It’s a direction she says she might never have found without the opportunity to get out of the classroom and into real workplaces.
Asked what best prepared her for the industry, Kate points to two things: the placements she completed and the job interview preparation taught throughout the course. Together, they shaped not just what she knew, but how she carried herself. “The course taught me how to conduct myself professionally, present myself confidently, and communicate effectively,” she says. Those skills, along with the experience she built on placement, have supported her at every stage since and, in her words, played a big role in getting her to where she is today.
They also helped her hit the ground running. Coming out of RISL, Kate landed a role at Hawthorn as a Casual Membership Consultant. After six months, she moved into a full-time position as a Sales Consultant, where she stayed for a further six. It was a quick progression, and one that gave her a solid grounding in the day-to-day workings of a club.
After just over a year with the Hawks, Kate was fortunate to return to Richmond, where she now works as a Commercial Operations Officer in the club’s commercial team. It’s a role she’s thoroughly enjoying, and one that sits squarely in the commercial side of sport she first got a taste for during her RISL placements.
Looking back, Kate’s advice to her younger self is to back herself in. “If you put in the work, things will work out,” she says. “You just need to trust the process, back your abilities and not stress too much about what comes next.” It’s a reminder that a career in sport rarely follows a straight line, and that the pressure to have everything figured out can get in the way of the work that actually moves you forward.
For current RISL students, her message is to say yes to every opportunity and treat each one like a job interview. “The sporting industry is incredibly connected, and you never know who you might meet through placements, events, or networking opportunities,” she says. A conversation at an event or a good impression on placement can turn out to matter far more than it seemed at the time. Kate is clear that students shape their own experience: the effort you put into the course is what you get out of it, so it pays to make the most of every experience and every connection along the way.
Kate’s story shows what RISL can open up for students who aren’t sure where they’re headed. Through hands-on placements, practical preparation for the job market, and connections across the industry, she found her direction and built a career in the sport she loves. For anyone standing at the same crossroads she once did, her journey is proof that you don’t need to have it all worked out. You just need to back yourself and say yes.
