Meet Sarah Dyce, Public Affairs and Marketing Manager at the Victorian Institute of Sport.
Sarah has a wealth of experience in sports communications, working behind the scenes of the moments that matter most. After graduating with a Bachelor of Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Notre Dame in Perth, Sarah made a bold move to Melbourne in 2018.
But here's the part most people don't know. Sarah never set out to work in sport. She arrived in Melbourne in 2018 with a marketing degree, no contacts, and a determination to avoid a nine-to-five in Perth's mining and oil and gas sector. She found a listing on a website better known for arts and theatre jobs, applied for an unpaid internship at Swimming Australia, and quietly outworked everyone around her until the industry had no choice but to take notice.
What followed was years of contract roles spanning Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games as part of the Australian Olympic Committee's Main Press Centre team, worked the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, the World University Games in Berlin, the Australian Open, A-League Finals Series, and helped orchastrate one of the most viral moments of the 2025 Australian Open - the now-famous Carlos Alcaraz and young fan John's encounter that captured the world's attention.
In this episode, Sarah takes us through the mindset shift that made contract life work for her, the networking habits she built that kept the opportunities coming, and the deliberate decisions she made along the way that led her to the role she has today. If you've ever talked yourself out of applying for a sport role because you didn't feel \"sport enough,\" Sarah's story is the one you need to hear!
We cover:
(03:07) - Interview starts
(09:23) - Quick Fire Questions
(16:32) - Why Sarah moved from Western Australia to Melbourne?
(20:11) - What her time at Swimming Australia taught Sarah
(24:08) - Why Sarah left a full-time role to pick up contract work
(28:48) - Sarah's takeaways from contract work
(31:54) - How Sarah managed to stack contracts
(36:42) - What a day in the AOC Main Press Centre team looks like
(43:14) - Differences and similarities of working at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics
(51:53) - The viral AO moment Sarah helped make happen
(57:27) - How Sarah landed a role at the World University Games in Berlin
(01:02:46) - How Sarah's current role at the VIS came about
(01:07:20) - How do you measure success across the various roles Sarah has held
(01:09:28) - Biggest challenges in sports media and PR
(01:11:16) - How you can stand out in a saturated sports media landscape
(01:13:22) - How to handle difficult situations as a sports comms professional
(01:16:19) - How to build trust and relationships with variou stakeholders in sport
(01:19:00) - Impact of mentors on Sarah's journey
(01:24:07) - How to land a job in sport media and PR in the next 30 days
(01:25:49) - Biggest \"Pinch Me\" moment working in sport
(01:29:39) - What is a takeaway from a family member that influenced your career in sport?
(01:31:22) - Sarah's question for next guest
If you liked this ep, give these a go:
#281: Journey to Head of Media Rights at Cricket Australia with Abhi Arunachalam
#312: How Vimal Kumar Became a Cricket Writer, Built 600k+ on YouTube & Travelled the World
#335: How to land a job at the VIS with Director of People & Community, Daniel Simons
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Thanks for listening, much love!
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