In her fifth season working within the Football department in what has typically been a role occupied by men, Nicky can list several things she loves about her job but one reason stands out above all others: she loves being part of a team.
“I love the feeling of being part of a team and feeling that my contribution is making a difference to that team, that’s what I love most about it (my job),” she said.
Speaking to Nicky in the week of International Women’s Day, she opened up about her professional journey so far, career ambitions and the evolution of her current role.
“I was always good at sport and enjoyed it and got involved. And then I went to uni and did a double degree in human movement/business management,” she said.
“I started as an Administration Assistant within the Football department and worked my way up.”
Nicky admits that the role of Football Operations Coordinator is unlike any other nine-to-five job, and it’s the flexibility of the position that she enjoys.
As well as overseeing all of the Club’s pre-season cup operations, Nicky is currently working on the weekly football schedule: coordinating trainings, meetings, workshops, seminars and classes and organising players, coaches, fitness staff and medical staff.
In her five seasons at Hawthorn, Nicky has noticed an increase in the number of women who work in football, which she says is the result of women in more visible positions within the industry.
“When I started there weren’t many women in my role at other clubs, I was pretty much the only girl. But as the years have gone by I’ve noticed a lot more girls slipping into the system, which is great, it’s awesome.
“Now I think there are female AFL commissioners and there’s a female commentating football and more and more girls are getting into the sport in more recognised ways.”
Nicky has seen the gradual change in her workplace too.
“We now have two women working in the footy department which is great and we’ve graduated to a female trainer and we’ve got more female masseurs; our dietitian and our podiatrist are females,” she said.
While she names General Manager Football Operations Mark Evans as her greatest mentor, Nicky admits she seeks out female role models such as Leigh Russell (the wife of Hawthorn’s Head Fitness Coach Andrew Russell), who has worked in player development at Essendon FC and was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer at Netball Victoria.
“She’s a lady with high-powered ambitions that I sort of aspire to and she’s done a lot of things that I would like to do.”
With her propensity for hard work and promising talent, it is clear Nicky is certain to become a role model herself for the next generation of women in the sporting industry.
