When sport is your life, life becomes all about sport management

Student Profile - Tony Habib

21-year-old Western Sydney University student Tony Habib started playing rugby league as a child and had dreams of being a professional when he was older. After injuries put an end to one dream, Tony had to find a new direction.

The Concord resident had given up on working in the sports industry completely until he enrolled in the Bachelor of Business (Sport Management) degree at Western Sydney University.

Initially, Tony’s higher education journey started in in marketing, however, it wasn’t something that felt right for him in the long term. After taking some time to reevaluate and try out some other career options, Tony had a friend point him back in the direction of his first love, Rugby League.

“I wasn’t enjoying what I was studying and couldn’t see myself in a traditional marketing role long term. After the suggestion to look at careers in rugby league, I researched ways to break into sports administration and the industry and the Sport Management degree at Western Sydney University, took a chance and haven’t looked back,” said Tony.

During his degree, Tony has had the opportunity to participate in an internship with National Rugby League Club the Parramatta Eels, where he got the chance to put his learnings into practice. During his time at the Eels, Tony was able to gain a deeper understanding of the complex and holistic nature of rugby league clubs.

Student Profile - Tony Habib - Game Day

“Watching how teams like merchandise, memberships, ticketing and hospitality work together on game day, along with the way the Partnerships team and Marketing work within a large organisation was eye opening,” said Tony.

“My time at the Eels, along with a volunteering opportunity at the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs have taught me so many skills that you can only learn in practice.”

Tony is aware that if it wasn’t for the partnerships that the School of Business and the University more broadly have cultivated these opportunities may have passed him by.

“The work that Dr’s Michelle O’Shea, Jess Richards and Chris Yorke from the School of Business, put into helping their students make and develop contacts within the sports industry is invaluable. I would be genuinely lost without it as a degree can only get you so far,” he said.

Dr Michelle O’Shea notes that Tony’s experiences reflect the University’s Sport Management program’s deep commitment to industry-co-created and co-designed course content based on experiential learning.

“The program is structured and delivered in ways that value and actively engage industry and students as partners, is agile and responsive to their unique needs, and is enveloped by robust (real-world) domestic and international engagement,” said Dr O’Shea.

“Having had access to industry opportunities with the Eels and the Bulldogs, were the things that set me apart when I was applying for my current role with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.”

Student Profile - Tony Habib - Game Day

The flexibility and creativity that Tony found at Western is also unmatched and he is genuinely excited about his future learning and the networks he is building with his peers and academic staff.

“I look forward to going to all my classes and building on the connections I have made with the other students and my lecturers.”

When asked what advice he would give to anyone who is currently or looking to study sports management in the future he notes that you need to show up and be involved.

“Be a pest, build up your networks and connect with people in the industry, be a sponge and take full advantage of everything that comes along. It’s the best piece of advice I have,” said Tony.

ENDS

27 February 2025

Kathryn Bannon, Media Officer.