Meet three sports-mad graduates who followed their dreams all the way to Sydney, Australia.
Photo by Adobe Stock.
Dale Quartey
Having spent more than a decade climbing the corporate ladder, Dale Quartey was excelling in his chosen field – HR – but it wasn’t a job he loved. He says: “My now wife turned to me one day and said, ‘All you do is watch sport, talk about sport and read about sport: I don’t understand why you don’t work in sport.’” For Dale, it was a revelation.
He looked into postgraduate courses in the UK, where he’s from, but ended up applying to study Sport Management at UTS, a program known for its networking opportunities. Set in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, UTS is one of Australia’s biggest universities and the country’s best performing young university, according to the 2022 Times Higher Education rankings.
People from all over the world apply for UTS’s postgraduate Sport Management courses, with about 30 selected each year. Of those, some are recent grads, some are elite athletes and many, like Dale, are already working at a management level.
Dale is now relationships manager at Cricket NSW, where he works alongside other Sport Management graduates from UTS. “It’s a very competitive industry,” he says, “but there are lots of jobs for people who know people. UTS has really strong links to sporting organisations and there are plenty of opportunities to connect with sporting professionals throughout the course.”
UTS Business School offers several sport-specific programs, ranging from a graduate certificate to a two-year extended master’s degree, which includes an optional internship. Developed in collaboration with sporting associations, the master’s course prepares students for a leadership role in the sector, equipping them with business skills and industry insights.
I have friends and a great career. Without studying at UTS, I don’t think I’d ever have the chance to work overseas, or to be part of such a great company.
Xiaoxiao Chen
Philip Hirzel
“When I got the opportunity to study in Australia, it was a no-brainer for me,” says Philip Hirzel, who’s based in Karlsruhe, Germany. Having completed the 18-month master’s degree, Philip now has his dream job: as head of finance and HR at Karlsruhe SC, a fast-growing second-grade soccer team. As for his peers, Philip says:
“Most work in sports or the entertainment sector but it’s a real mix: some are using the management training and they’re self-employed or consulting.”
For Philip, enrolling at UTS meant learning Australian sports, such as rugby and cricket, and adapting to a very different approach to learning. “Classes are much more interactive,” he says. “You really get a chance to dive deep, working on group papers, presentations and debates, and there are lots of expert talks. The course is not only about business and sports; it’s about personal development.”
Classes are held in the Frank Gehry-designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, a modern structure purpose-built for postgraduate learning. Opened in 2014, it is Gehry’s first Australian work and was created in close collaboration with the faculty dean. The exterior is striking, but beyond that lies a dynamic learning environment that’s designed to support interactive lessons, featuring elliptical classrooms, indoor and outdoor breakout spaces, and a “lecture theatre” that supports teacher/student dialogue.
UTS is the only Sydney university that offers postgraduate sport management courses on campus. And that campus is rapidly growing, with the Rugby Australia Building – home of the national Rugby Union teams – one of many recent developments. “Being there gives us access to world-leading sport and exercise laboratories,” says Nico Schulenkorf, professor of Sport Management. “It also puts us close to the Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground.”
Xiaoxiao Chen
For Xiaoxiao Chen, who hails from Luoyang, China, and had previously worked in sports broadcasting, UTS’s reputation helped her land her current role: as a marketing executive at the Sydney offices of Stats Perform, an international sports data organisation. “Many global companies have their Asia-Pacific offices in Sydney so my Chinese background, combined with studying at UTS, made it easy to find a job,” she says.
As an undergraduate, she’d studied biology on the advice of her parents, who’d hoped she would become a teacher. But it wasn’t for her. “After I graduated and worked for a couple of years, I knew that I wanted to be in sports,” she says. She also knew where she wanted to study: Australia. “It’s a great place to live: great weather, great food, great people,” she says. “The sports atmosphere, especially in Sydney, is quite strong. People have a local team in cricket, rugby, soccer, basketball – everything.”
Xiaoxiao Chen: from International Student to Marketing Executive in Stats Perform
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Sports Management at UTS
Xiaoxiao Chen
MBA - Sport Management and Marketing (2020)
Xiaoxiao: After I graduated from undergraduate school and worked for a couple of years I know what I want, I know I want to work in sports. I want to do a little bit maybe Marketing Media so UTS gave me an opportunity to actually go back to school and study, and get my degree.
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Originally from Luoyang, China, Xiaoxiao came to UTS to study Sport Management as an international student.
Xiaoxiao: Oh I remember the day when I came to Sydney. I was like crying at the airport. I was like 25 years old already not that young. I wasn't sure what's gonna happen. I'm going to move to a new place I've never lived overseas before. I don't know what's gonna happen. I'm really glad I made that decision. Now I have my life in Sydney, I have a great job, I have friends, I have like a career I always want to chase.
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The unique learning experiences at UTS put Xiaoxiao on the career path she wanted.
Xiaoxiao: I think what makes UTS different is one thing is the size of the class usually it's around like 20- 30 students there, so which means like you will get more attention from the professor and also if you have any questions like they're all very friendly and willing to help you, even like during the weekend I remember they still replied my email. I think UTS course is very practical, so you'll have the chance to get a like internship in the industry even the professor will send you links okay they're hiring someone they're like finding intern so they will refer you to some like local companies. Australia give international students like a working opportunity. It's like you can work like part-time and also at the same time study and also after graduating from Uni they will give you two or three years working Visa. I think that's quite important because a lot of like International students kind of want to gain working experience.
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What advice would Xiaoxiao give to prospective international students?
Xiaoxiao: Practice your English, that's a very important thing if you want to find a job in Australia also if they can find an internship when they're studying, go for it. It's like to know the local culture, especially with sports right. Australia is into like Cricket and rugby, but in China, we only watch like soccer and basketball that's the main difference.
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Xiaoxiao is now a Marketing Executive at Stats Perform, one of the world's leading sports data and analytics companies.
Xiaoxiao: My current role is kind of like my dream job. I work for the best company in the industry. I love sports like everyone I worked with, they're so into sports. In football, like we're pretty much the best like data provider, we work with like English Premier, League Bundesliga, La Liga and also FIFA. I'm really thankful for the two-year studying UTS without studying here I don't think I have had a chance to work overseas, work for such a great company.
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There were practical reasons, too. With a student visa, she says, “it was easy to find a part-time job to pay my rent and expenses”. Plus, once she’d completed her master’s degree, she would be able to stay in Australia for three years, giving her a chance to kickstart her future.
“My life is in Sydney now,” she says. “I have friends and a great career. Without studying at UTS, I don’t think I’d ever have the chance to work overseas, or to be part of such a great company.” Her advice for anyone considering studying in Australia? “Practise your English and don’t be shy – making friends is very important if you want to find a job in this industry.”
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