Meet Nancy Alu.
Nancy is the Pathways & Performance Administrator at Queensland Rugby League, looking after everything off the field for Queensland's representative programs, from travel and accommodation to apparel for camp, including Junior Origin.
Before sport, Nancy spent five years in hospitality walking events with food trays, then worked in concierge and member events roles. Along the way she spent eight years volunteering with her church youth group, running logistics for summer camps and conferences. She also paid her own way to volunteer at the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, and found a mentor in Dubai who pointed her towards SportsGrad.
Lots to look out for in this episode, including how to get a job in sports operations when your experience is outside sport: how Nancy broke the rejection loop by learning to read job descriptions properly, the rep clubs and team manager roles she'd target to get a foot in the door, and the three questions she asks when a networking conversation runs dry. Plus, how she keeps growing in the role by always having questions ready for her manager.
We Cover:
(04:17) – Quick fire questions
(12:42) – How sport became her place to belong
(15:51) – The rejection loop: applying for roles in sport
(18:40) – The mentor who pointed her towards sport
(23:45) – Networking and SportsGrad meetups
(28:0) – How church camp volunteering helped her get hired
(31:36) – What a Pathways & Performance Administrator does at QRL
(38:47) – Pinch-me moments: Maroons camp and Cameron Munster
(44:46) – How to land a sports ops job in 30 days
Related Episodes:
🎧 #367: From Engineer to the FIFA World Cup - How Hector Arenas built a career in sports operations
🎧 #368: From Gym Receptionist to CEO, with Sarah Loh (Softball Australia)
🎧 The Method: Turn any job description into a winning Cover Letter
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Thanks for listening, much love!
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