Meet Jack Lloyd, Marketing Specialist at Cricket Australia, and one of the people building the 150th Anniversary Test Match, cricket's biggest global event in a generation.

Jack's love of sport started early. A Year 9 internship at AFL Media, then as a bartender at the MCG throughout uni just to be near the action. He got his foot in the door leading live match-day coverage at Box Hill Hawks, with a day a week inside the Hawthorn media team. Just as he graduated university at the end of 2019, the world shut down for the COVID Pandemic. Hiring froze, redundancies swept the industry, and his entry into full-time work was put on pause.

So he kept building. A message from Reuben pulled him in to produce the first 70 episodes of the SportsGrad podcast, absorbing exactly how insiders break into sport. That's where it all turned. He landed at Rugby Victoria, then won his big break as Digital Marketing Coordinator for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, a 300,000-fan database, 800,000 tickets sold, before moving to Cricket Australia, where he's climbed from marketing coordinator to leading Big Bash marketing across a record 1.1-million-fan season.

In this episode, Jack shares how to get a foot in the door at the lower levels and build skills that actually carry up, why leading with your "why" beats reciting your CV, and the pinch-me moment at the World Cup final he never saw coming - flag in hand, 90,000 fans, and being on the field at the MCG for the trophy lift.

We cover:

(03:08) - Interview begins

(04:40) - Quick Fire Questions

(10:23) - Early experiences that shaped Jack's career

(17:35) - How Jack landed his role at the ICC T20 World Cup

(20:16) - Day-to-day responsibilities in Jack's role as Digital Marketing Coordinator

(23:53) - Being on the ground for the T20 World Cup final

(27:42) - How Jack landed his role as Digital Marketing Specialist at Cricket Australia

(40:47) - What the lifecycle of a marketing campaign at Cricket Australia looks like

(45:01) - Campaigns Cricket Australia are running in the lead-up to the 150th Anniversary Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

(53:14) - What challenges did Jack face breaking into sport

(54:13) - How Jack decided what career path to take

(55:33) - Impact of mentors on Jack's journey

(57:02) - On Jack's role as a Coach in the SportsGrad method Program

(01:01:27) - How to land a job in Sport Marketing in the next 30 days

(01:02:39) - Biggest 'Pinch Me' moment working in sport

(01:07:04) - What life would look like if not a career in sport?

(01:08:06) - What measures do you implement to prevent burnout

(01:09:55) - Jack's question for the next guest

If you liked this ep, give these a go next:

#225: T20 World Cup tournament time jobs with Jack Lloyd & Harrison Orchard

#347: Sport Marketing & Communications - How to work in AFL, NBA and Seven Sport with Anthony Alsop

#358: Sports Marketing in the Premier League and the MLS with Sunny Dhillon (Seattle Sounders)

Want a job in sport? Click here.

Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Thanks for listening, much love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to land a job in sport? Apply for The SportsGrad Method: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

So you want to work in sport.

You are not alone, and that is exactly the problem.

Sport is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Everyone is passionate. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is willing to work hard. And yet most people spend years on the outside looking in, never quite understanding why.

It is not a capability problem. It is a method problem.

I am Reuben Williams, founder of SportsGrad. I landed a job at Cricket Australia the day after I finished university. When COVID hit and I was made redundant, I was headhunted into a role that doubled my salary. Not because I got lucky, because I had a method that most people never find.

Since then that method has helped over 800 people land jobs in sport, from graduates with no experience to career professionals who thought the window had already closed. We have built a global network that members can tap into from day one, and spent ten years inside this industry learning exactly how hiring actually works.

80% of jobs in sport are never advertised. The people landing them are not the most qualified. They are the most visible, the most connected, and the most prepared to convert opportunity into an offer.

That is what The SportsGrad Method teaches.

How I can help you:

1. Listen to The Method — real coaching call snippets every Wednesday so you can hear the work in action.

2. Read The SportsGrad Newsletter — weekly insight on breaking into sport the right way.

3. Apply for The SportsGrad Method Program — if you are serious about making this happen, this is the fastest path. We review every application personally.

If you refuse to settle for a career you do not care about, you are in the right place.

Let's get to work: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

Reuben

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Phil Speake, Head of High Performance Operations and Finance at Golf Australia.

Phil's path into sport ran through some of the biggest clubs in the world. After nearly seven years as a senior analyst in professional services, Phil took a pay cut and "two steps down" to land his first role in sport as an assistant accountant at the Essendon Football Club. From there, he moved to London, grinded through rejections, and worked his way from William Hill to Brentford FC to a dream job at Tottenham Hotspur FC, beating 800 applicants for the role. He's since returned home, worked with Western United and turned that into a role that looks after high-performance operations and finance at Golf Australia.

In this episode, Phil breaks down how to prove your skills are transferable when switching industries, the four-day interview prep that landed his dream job at Tottenham and why leading with what you can give opens more doors than asking for something.

We cover:

(02:59) - Interview Starts

(06:05) - Quick Fire Questions

(12:53) - How Phil transitioned from working in financial professional services to working with the Essendon Football Club

(15:34) - Key parts of Phil's role at the Essendon Bombers

(19:43) - How Phil built culture and relationships internally across departments

(21:00) - Phil's move to the UK after his stint at the Bombers

(24:26) - How Phil landed a role at Brentford FC

(29:29) - Phil's move from Brentford to Tottenham Hotspur FC

(32:33) - The scale of financial operations at the Spurs

(39:14) - How Phil entered the Football Operations team at Western United

(42:40) - What Phil's role at Western United looked like

(46:05) - Difference between working at Tottenham Hotspur and Western United

(47:02) - Phil's role at Golf Australia

(53:03) - Challenges to entering the sport industry

(54:30) - What degree/qualifications do you need to work in the finance team of a sport organisation

(55:10) - Impact of mentors on Phil's Journey

(56:02) - How to land a job in Sports Finance in the next 30 days

(58:06) - Biggest 'Pinch Me' moment working in sport

(58:59) - How would you help grow the AFL in international markets?

(01:01:35) - Phil's question for next guest

If you liked this ep, give these a go next:

#265: From Westpac to the Adelaide Crows FC in 29 days with Community Engagement Manager, Parth Suri

#296: Manchester City FC Head of Research Tom Wilkins on using fan insights for business growth

#339: How to land your first job in sport with Josh Marton, GM of Public Affairs & Marketing in Golf

Want a job in sport? Click here.

Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Thanks for listening, much love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to land a job in sport? Apply for The SportsGrad Method: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

So you want to work in sport.

You are not alone, and that is exactly the problem.

Sport is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Everyone is passionate. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is willing to work hard. And yet most people spend years on the outside looking in, never quite understanding why.

It is not a capability problem. It is a method problem.

I am Reuben Williams, founder of SportsGrad. I landed a job at Cricket Australia the day after I finished university. When COVID hit and I was made redundant, I was headhunted into a role that doubled my salary. Not because I got lucky, because I had a method that most people never find.

Since then that method has helped over 800 people land jobs in sport, from graduates with no experience to career professionals who thought the window had already closed. We have built a global network that members can tap into from day one, and spent ten years inside this industry learning exactly how hiring actually works.

80% of jobs in sport are never advertised. The people landing them are not the most qualified. They are the most visible, the most connected, and the most prepared to convert opportunity into an offer.

That is what The SportsGrad Method teaches.

How I can help you:

1. Listen to The Method — real coaching call snippets every Wednesday so you can hear the work in action.

2. Read The SportsGrad Newsletter — weekly insight on breaking into sport the right way.

3. Apply for The SportsGrad Method Program — if you are serious about making this happen, this is the fastest path. We review every application personally.

If you refuse to settle for a career you do not care about, you are in the right place.

Let's get to work: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

Reuben

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Andrew Hawkins, Senior Researcher for the Seven Network's coverage of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, and newest member of the SportsGrad "Circle of Grad" club - from follower to member and now podcast guest.

Andrew's love of sport was sealed at nearly 10, watching the Sydney 2000 Olympics from ten minutes down the road.

At 19, he mailed a handwritten letter to his broadcasting hero, Bruce McAvaney, asking how to break into the industry, and Bruce wrote back. Years later, the two would finally get on a call, and today they work side by side on Seven's Commonwealth Games broadcast: Andrew building the research, Bruce using it to call the Games.

His first paid gig in sport was parking cars at Rosehill Racecourse, but it was writing that took him furthest. Andrew has since built an award-winning career in international horse racing - one of the most data-heavy sports on earth, spending five years in Hong Kong reporting for the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, with work syndicated around the world.

Then came the hard part - being told, again and again, that all that experience only counted for racing. When he joined The SportsGrad Method, he'd applied for 50-odd jobs and landed just five interviews. What changed everything was a single post that caught the eye of people at Channel Seven, and he hasn't looked back since.

In this episode, Andrew shares the mindset that got him unstuck after 50 applications, the networking habit he's leaned on since he was 19, and the hard-won lessons every career changer needs to hear.

We cover:

(02:41) - Interview Begins

(06:01) - Quick Fire Questions

(10:03) - What led Andrew to move to Hong Kong

(14:00) - What issues Andrew was facing before he joined the SportsGrad Method Program

(20:05) - How the SportsGrad Method led to Andrew's role as Broadcast Researcher for the Commonwealth Games

(23:38) - What a day in the life of Andrew's role looks like

(26:10) - What goes into building a broadcast research strategy

(34:20) - How does the archive of knowledge and research material get used across multiple events

(39:20) - How AI helps with Broadcast Research

(47:41) - How Andrew has had to upskill himself as modern media has

evolved

(53:16) - How to land a job in sport media in the next 30 days

(59:33) - What life would have looked like if not a job in sport

(01:00:29) - Biggest 'Pinch Me' moment working in sport

If you liked this ep, give these a go next:

#252: What it's like to work on the FIFA Women's World Cup with Media Volunteer, Vi Truong https://youtu.be/-l_-ld6Pv7U

#293: Careers in Sports Broadcasting with Lucy & Emma Race from Making The Call https://youtu.be/BLxvoFL41_4

#356: Career journey of FIFA World Cup Commentator David Basheer https://youtu.be/Vdu4esiAhNw

Want a job in sport? Click here.

Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Thanks for listening, much love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to land a job in sport? Apply for The SportsGrad Method: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

So you want to work in sport.

You are not alone, and that is exactly the problem.

Sport is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Everyone is passionate. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is willing to work hard. And yet most people spend years on the outside looking in, never quite understanding why.

It is not a capability problem. It is a method problem.

I am Reuben Williams, founder of SportsGrad. I landed a job at Cricket Australia the day after I finished university. When COVID hit and I was made redundant, I was headhunted into a role that doubled my salary. Not because I got lucky, because I had a method that most people never find.

Since then that method has helped over 800 people land jobs in sport, from graduates with no experience to career professionals who thought the window had already closed. We have built a global network that members can tap into from day one, and spent ten years inside this industry learning exactly how hiring actually works.

80% of jobs in sport are never advertised. The people landing them are not the most qualified. They are the most visible, the most connected, and the most prepared to convert opportunity into an offer.

That is what The SportsGrad Method teaches.

How I can help you:

1. Listen to The Method — real coaching call snippets every Wednesday so you can hear the work in action.

2. Read The SportsGrad Newsletter — weekly insight on breaking into sport the right way.

3. Apply for The SportsGrad Method Program — if you are serious about making this happen, this is the fastest path. We review every application personally.

If you refuse to settle for a career you do not care about, you are in the right place.

Let's get to work: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

Reuben

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet David Culbert OLY, Olympian, Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, now broadcaster and the Alumni Engagement Manager at the Australian Olympic Committee.

Dave made the Olympic long jump final in Barcelona, finished sixth in the greatest long jump competition ever held (the 1991 Tokyo World Championships, where Mike Powell broke the world record), and jumped eight metres in every major championship final he contested across two Olympics, three Commonwealth Games and a World Championships.

He then went on to build a second career from scratch. Stadium announcing led to a field-events gig at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which led to Channel Seven and the Sydney Olympics, which led to four Winter Games and calling Jess Fox's canoe gold in Paris beside her father, Richard Fox.

Around this, he also ran sports media and marketing business Jump Media with his wife for 21 years, before joining the AOC to help Olympians navigate life after sport as the now Alumni Engagement Manager.

Inside this episode, David shares how he turned an athletic career into three decades in the commentary box, why breaking into sport means starting at your local club and taking it step by step like an athlete, and the pinch-me moment of calling Jess and Noemie Fox's Olympic gold medals at the Paris Olympics.

We cover:

(03:58) - Interview starts

(05:12) - Quick Fire Questions

(12:41) - David's athletic career representing Australia

(16:10) - How David's media career began

(18:18) - How David became a commentator for the Olympics

(28:38) - Commentating the Olympics with Richard Fox

(33:09) - What the research process for commentating an event looks like

(37:17) - What David has learnt from working with other broadcasters

(40:49) - What you need to work on to improve your commentary

(42:22) - Impact of having a media portfolio

(46:05) - What is an event David wants to work at before he calls time on his broadcasting career?

(47:31) - David's role at the Australian Olympic Committee

(53:27) - David's advice for landing a role in sports media

If you liked this ep, give these a go next:

#124: Hamish McLachlan - How to commentate the AFL Grand Final

#210: Brian Taylor - How to be a commentator in the AFL

#356: Career journey of FIFA World Cup Commentator David Basheer

Want a job in sport? Click here.

Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Thanks for listening, much love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to land a job in sport? Apply for The SportsGrad Method: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

So you want to work in sport.

You are not alone, and that is exactly the problem.

Sport is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Everyone is passionate. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is willing to work hard. And yet most people spend years on the outside looking in, never quite understanding why.

It is not a capability problem. It is a method problem.

I am Reuben Williams, founder of SportsGrad. I landed a job at Cricket Australia the day after I finished university. When COVID hit and I was made redundant, I was headhunted into a role that doubled my salary. Not because I got lucky, because I had a method that most people never find.

Since then that method has helped over 800 people land jobs in sport, from graduates with no experience to career professionals who thought the window had already closed. We have built a global network that members can tap into from day one, and spent ten years inside this industry learning exactly how hiring actually works.

80% of jobs in sport are never advertised. The people landing them are not the most qualified. They are the most visible, the most connected, and the most prepared to convert opportunity into an offer.

That is what The SportsGrad Method teaches.

How I can help you:

1. Listen to The Method — real coaching call snippets every Wednesday so you can hear the work in action.

2. Read The SportsGrad Newsletter — weekly insight on breaking into sport the right way.

3. Apply for The SportsGrad Method Program — if you are serious about making this happen, this is the fastest path. We review every application personally.

If you refuse to settle for a career you do not care about, you are in the right place.

Let's get to work: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

Reuben

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We went to the FIFA World Cup, and we couldn't switch off the sport business lens while we were there, so we sat down to talk through everything we noticed.

In this episode, Nathan Perrone and Reuben Williams share their experience at the FIFA World Cup and what they noticed through the lens of sports business.

They pick apart everything from the ticketing tech, to the workforce, the signage sponsors pay millions for, the commercial engine behind the World Cup, fan festivals, activations, which brands performed, and just how much revenue a tournament like this actually generates.

They also run through a host city report and compare how the whole experience stacks up against the Paris Olympics and previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar.

And yes, we also get into Reuben's "fairly sizeable hiccup" in Vancouver and how he almost didn’t make it to the USA.

You don't want to miss this, it's a fun one!

We cover:

(02:50) - Discussion Begins

(05:15) - Quick Fire Question

(20:27) - Reuben's mishap in Vancouver

(29:37) - What we noticed at the World Cup that most fans don't

(44:38) - What Nathan observed from a commercial lens

(55:01) - Ranking our favourite host cities at the World Cup

(01:04:43) - How the 2026 FIFA World Cup ranks against other tournaments

(01:15:34) - Sport Biz professionals we got to connect with at the World Cup

(01:19:16) - Meeting SportsGrad member Jake Cohen in Kansas

(01:24:48) - How to land a role at an upcoming major tournament

(01:28:12) - Our takeaways from making connections on the ground at major tournaments

If you liked this ep, give these a go next:

#356: Career journey of FIFA World Cup Commentator David Basheer

#357: From International Student to Major League Soccer with Adam Ferreira (Vancouver Whitecaps)

#358: Sports Marketing in the Premier League and Major League Soccer with Sunny Dhillon (Seattle Sounders)

#359: How to Build a Freelance Career in Sports Photography with Aleks Jason (Melbourne City & Socceroos)

Want a job in sport? Click here.

Follow SportsGrad on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Follow Reuben on socials: LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok

Thanks for listening, much love!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to land a job in sport? Apply for The SportsGrad Method: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

So you want to work in sport.

You are not alone, and that is exactly the problem.

Sport is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Everyone is passionate. Everyone has a degree. Everyone is willing to work hard. And yet most people spend years on the outside looking in, never quite understanding why.

It is not a capability problem. It is a method problem.

I am Reuben Williams, founder of SportsGrad. I landed a job at Cricket Australia the day after I finished university. When COVID hit and I was made redundant, I was headhunted into a role that doubled my salary. Not because I got lucky, because I had a method that most people never find.

Since then that method has helped over 800 people land jobs in sport, from graduates with no experience to career professionals who thought the window had already closed. We have built a global network that members can tap into from day one, and spent ten years inside this industry learning exactly how hiring actually works.

80% of jobs in sport are never advertised. The people landing them are not the most qualified. They are the most visible, the most connected, and the most prepared to convert opportunity into an offer.

That is what The SportsGrad Method teaches.

How I can help you:

1. Listen to The Method — real coaching call snippets every Wednesday so you can hear the work in action.

2. Read The SportsGrad Newsletter — weekly insight on breaking into sport the right way.

3. Apply for The SportsGrad Method Program — if you are serious about making this happen, this is the fastest path. We review every application personally.

If you refuse to settle for a career you do not care about, you are in the right place.

Let's get to work: www.sportsgrad.com.au/program

Reuben

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.