Tasmanian Students Set for Sports Industry
Photo: Grant Dreher CEO TasTAFE, Olympian Maddi Brooks, Kath McCann executive director Tasmania Football Club, Jesse O'Hara education program manager of Tasmania Academy of Leadership and Sport, Dominic Baker CEO Hobart Hurricanes, Mitch Coulson CEO Netball Tasmania, Christine Finnegan CEO Tasmania JackJumpers.
Aspiring sports industry professionals in Tasmania will soon have a major boost, with a unique statewide partnership set to offer unparalleled opportunities close to home.
A new initiative, the Tasmania Academy of Leadership and Sport, has been created through collaboration between the Tasmania Devils AFL team, Tasmania JackJumpers (NBL), Hobart Hurricanes (Cricket), and Netball Tasmania, alongside TasTAFE.
The program will allow local students to gain practical experience working inside each of the four organisations, with the goal of developing and retaining future coaches, administrators, and leaders in Tasmania.
A First for the State
Unlike similar initiatives elsewhere that usually focus on one sport, this program will give participants hands-on exposure across multiple codes. It will officially launch in early 2025.
Program Manager Jesse O’Hara said bringing together four of the state’s biggest sporting brands was a deliberate move to create a broad talent pipeline.
“By uniting multiple leading sports organisations under one program, our students get a comprehensive view of the industry,” O’Hara explained. “It’s not just about filling roles in our sports — it’s about using sport as a platform to strengthen education and career pathways in Tasmania.”
A Tasmanian-Only Opportunity
TasTAFE CEO Grant Dreher highlighted the collaboration as something uniquely achievable in Tasmania.
“The level of cooperation needed to get this off the ground in such a short time is rare,” Dreher said. “It’s the kind of thing that works here because of how well organisations work together in this state.”
While there is no set employment guarantee at the end of the program, preference will be given to Tasmanian students. Participants will also have the chance to stay and build their careers locally.
Program Details
The academy will offer credits towards certain bachelor’s degrees and will have no fixed cap on student numbers. It will run initially in Hobart, with expansion to the North planned for 2026.
Students will balance two days of formal study with about 100 hours of work placement across the four sporting organisations.