“One thing that I have learned is to outwork everyone… if you can be the hardest-working guy in the building then you will find a place because somebody will see that because on the football side, it’s can you work hard and can you figure stuff out… because if you can then those opportunities will come,” - Shahbaz Dhillon 

Shahbaz Dhillon is the Manager of Football Operations for the Edmonton Elks, and an Oakville native, Shahbaz attended and earned an Advanced Diploma in Sports Management from Humber College in 2016. Now in his second season with the Elks, Shahbaz brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to Football Operations after spending the last nine years in Business Development and Partnerships, including four years within the sports industry. Working with Head Coach and General Manager Chris Jones and Assistant General Manager Geroy Simon, Shahbaz’s responsibilities are vast, and he joins TURN Sport’s own Navin Ramharak to discuss his role with the Elks, the upcoming CFL season, his journey in football and sport management, goals and aspirations and much more in this interview. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Shahbaz gives a quick rundown of what his exact responsibilities entail with the Edmonton Elks (2:08), what the role is like when the offseason is going on (3:00), his excitement level when travelling to different states or provinces to find talent to play for the Elks (4:36), how football prospects feel about potentially playing in the CFL (5:51), how much of an impact Sports Management in school has helped his career or whether the hands-on experience has played a larger part (7:53), his early football career (9:05), and what the hardest thing to handle is for his role (11:17). Next Shahbaz describes what it was like first joining the Elks and if anything has changed (12:53), what the end goal is for football (14:10), thoughts on this year’s NFL draft (15:45), what the Elks as an organization are looking forward to this season (16:59), what he would tells fans about the Elks how may not have seen a game yet (18:30), a possible reason as to why South Asian parents don’t allow their kids to play football (12:30), what would it take to get someone of South Asian descent to the NFL (22:32), how the CFL could potentially change and evolve in the next few years (24:01), the steps the Elks are taking to build a championship roster (25:44), and what positions are the most valuable for building a team in football (27:10). Then Shahbaz answers some questions from listeners including how a football operations insures they all have good chemistry when working with one another and what challenges he faces when managing the salary cap (28:13), what the most rewarding moment has been for him so far since joining the Elks (34:09), if he feels pressure in his role (35:22), what the Elks are doing outside of football in terms of community events (37:20), and finally, what advice he would give to someone looking to follow in his footsteps and looking to secure a role in sports operations (39:54).  

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