The first half of the year at Richmond Institute has formed many memories and connections within the sporting industry. I chose to complete the Dual Diploma of Sport/ Leadership and Management after completing 3 years at university where I studied a Bachelor of Criminology and then switched to a Bachelor of Teaching. Although these courses taught me an abundance of knowledge, I quickly realised that the lack of hands-on learning and experience you get through doing a Bachelor just wasn’t for me.
After realising that the structure of a normal university setting wasn’t what I wanted, I felt stuck on what I wanted my future to look like and decided to look for alternative options to gain a tertiary education. That is when I stumbled across the Dual Diploma at Richmond Institute. Throughout my childhood, I played multiple sports and always enjoyed being a spectator in sports such as basketball and AFL. I had always had a passion for pursuing a career in the sporting industry but wasn’t exactly sure what career I was set on. After doing some research about the course and attending an online information session, I decided that this course provided a wide range of opportunities within the industry and had the ability to push me to make connections with other like-minded people.
Studying within this course has made me aware of the endless opportunities within the sporting industry and has allowed me to be able to experience a wide range of the roles available. The content within the course prepares us to be professional and gives us the relevant skills to be able to thrive in a sporting environment. I have had the chance to make connections with Richmond staff as well as being able to work alongside them and learn from them to be able to enhance my own professional development.
The placements team that works at Richmond Institute provides us with a wide range of opportunities to be able to pursue and experience an area within the industry that we are interested in. Throughout my time, I have been lucky enough to complete game day placements with the Richmond Football Club in areas such as merchandise, events, fan engagement, and memberships. Being able to work within a world-class sporting club such as Richmond FC has taught me so many skills in terms of professionalism and what it takes to run such a huge club. The skills I have gained through these experiences are ones I will be able to implement into my future professional roles. Other placements I have been able to complete are the Richmond Rookies clinic where I assisted Richmond FC players in delivering a program for their youngest members. I was also lucky enough to be asked to help at the Richmond Life Member function where I assisted throughout the day to ensure the life members had an exceptional experience. The life members included past players, Richmond staff, and also the 2023 Richmond FC playing group. I was also lucky enough to be apart of the Run For The Kids event which involved ensuring runners remained hydrated on the track and guiding participants in the right direction.
Completing placements has been beneficial in being able to cement what we are learning in class. We are able to apply the skills and knowledge we learn within the course to our placements in order to tackle real-life scenarios within the workplace. I have found placements to be extremely advantageous in being able to strengthen my skills and develop new ones to be able to implement into my future roles. I have made connections with Richmond staff as well as networking with other people within the industry. Placements have given me the opportunity to also figure out which areas I enjoy within the industry and be able to refine my skills in order to thrive in those areas.
Some advice I would give to future students is to always take up any placements that come your way. There is always an opportunity to get your name and face out there for people to get to know you and the skills you bring. I would also suggest to always remaining approachable and be open for a chat with people working within the sporting industry, as you can learn so much knowledge from others that you can implement into your own personal and professional development.
This article was written by Georgia Lee, a current Diploma of Sport/Diploma of Leadership and Management (SIS50321/BSB50420) student studying in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology and the Richmond Football Club.
