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Entry 9 - Quarter Times Article

It was the last week of November where I first began studying my internship. I was to complete at least 228 hours of my placement at Outer East Football Netball (OEFN). Starting placement so late into the year I felt panicked, and whether or not I would be able to complete my hours in time to graduate. 

On my first day starting in the office it was about 35 degrees, and I felt pressured into wearing pants and a nice shirt on such a warm day. I would have very much preferred to have worn a polo and some shorts due to the warm weather, however I thought dressing professional would give the better first impressions to everyone there. When walking in I realised how casual the dress code was, although I liked how I was safe rather than be under dressed on a first impression. 

Starting so late into the internship I was very keen to start whatever work the team at OEFN had for me. I was to start of for the first few weeks going through documents and counting signs with sponsor names before getting any work relating to my course (Image 1). This was not the case for me to be upset, as long as I had tasks to do to go towards my hours I was happy. Due to needing to finish my placement in less than two months, I had decided that I would be keen to go into the office everyday to speed my hours and enjoy my time there while I could. 

After my first week in office I began to do more work involved with Operations and Media which I was thrilled to receive. I was given the task to create multiple templates for the 2022 league fixtures for all divisions. Followed afterward was to create club fixtures for all the teams in the Outer East. These tasks alone were great to have, as I was able to work both in the office and remotely which would help speed my hours. 

Going into the Christmas break the tasks I had for me to work on was the club fixtures, and videos from John Howarth (head of umpiring at the Outer East Football Netball). I spent over 100 hours (half of my placement time) constructing these videos and distributing them for John. Details including editing, rendering, finding Australian Football League (AFL) clips, to help make the videos look amazing. 

With these tasks I was successfully able to complete my full 228 hours at OEFN in time. I felt by the fact I was going into the office everyday to do work, and seek any other tasks or opportunities that people wanted me to do showed my dedication and I hope that the team at OEFN appreciate that. Knowing the experience that I had gained at OEFN, I can definitely see myself being involved with this industry in my future. I plan on gaining more experience this year, as I would love to study in Sports Business as well. I am very thankful to the people at OEFN for having me there, I would not have wanted a better experience with how my time was there.

Image 1 - Documents and Paper work that had to be completed

Image 2 - Outer East Football Netball office 

Image 3 - Outer East Football Netball Conference Room (Where Christmas Party was held)

Image 4 - Wide shot of the Outer East Football Netball office, as well the oval

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Entry 8 - Reflections on the Internship and Studies

Although the starting time of my internship was very late into the year, it was a very memorable one and one I could not have enjoyed anymore. Throughout my full 228 hours at Outer East Football Netball I learnt so many new experiences and elements within how the sporting league functions. I thought that because the internship is during the off season, that I would not be given as much work relating to the start of the season. However the team at OEFN do an insane amount of work and attention to detail for the audience that this was not the case at all. 

When starting my position at Outer East my role was going to be an intern in Operations. This changed very fast due to the amount of opportunities I was given in various other sections, from just putting my foot forward. I was given big tasks and responsibilities within only my first week there. It was so fast but also thankful for the confidence that they had within me, and for the multiple areas of work I can do.

The main tasks which I completed at OEFN were the fixtures for the league, every club fixture, as well creating multiple videos for the umpire associations. All these tasks alone contributed to at least 70% of the hours I put in at OEFN. The tasks were to look over and make sure there are no mistakes (as these products would be distributed to the audience). 

I feel like my time at OEFN I did not feel as much like an intern. As I was going into the office everyday (more than other people), the tasks that were handed toward me had big responsibility involved with it. Finally, I do not feel as though I was treated as much as an intern but one of the staff there. Especially when the OEFN league had their Christmas party and I was thankful enough to be included with the rest of the team there (Image 1 & 2). It was only the start of my third week there, but it was small things like that helped make my experience a lot better.

For my future plans, I definitely plan to stay within the sport media industry. I was planning to return to Holmesglen for a final year to complete my Bachelor in Sports Business as well, and in that meantime I will complete more internships and gain more experience whilst doing this. ‘It's important that you keep yourself open to opportunities. See what's out there, pursue your interests and find new career options’, (Ali, 2020). It would be great to continue studying and to improve my knowledge within the industry and improve my confidence. ‘Good study skills can increase your confidence, competence, and self-esteem. They can also reduce anxiety about tests and deadlines,’ (Student Wellness Centre, 2017). The course and my internship with OEFN has made me realise more how great the industry is, and how much I would still love to be involved with it. I feel as though my showcase I felt confident, and that the photo shows my progression throughout the course (Image 3).

 Image 1 - Selfie of me taken at the Outer East Football Netball Christmas party

Image 2 - Liam on top of the inflatable slide at the Outer East Football Netball Christmas party

Image 3 - Photo taken right after my showcase on my time at Outer East Football Netball

Reference List

Ali, H. (2020). Graduate Guidance: Finding Your Feet, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/graduate-guidance-finding-your-feet-hamza-ali/

Student Wellness Centre. (2017). Study Well, https://students.usask.ca/articles/study-skills.php#:~:text=Good%20study%20skills%20can%20increase,anxiety%20about%20tests%20and%20deadlines.&text=Good%20study%20skills%20can%20improve,and%20effort%20is%20more%20worthwhile.

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Entry 7 - Supervisors Evaluation

My first evaluation that was given to me by Cameron gave me a great understanding of how he and the people at Outer East Football Netball (OEFN) had thought of me whilst being there. The evaluation of my strengths listed included my punctuality, and presentation of work to good quality. Areas in which I could have improved on was to be more open to asking questions. First evaluation was great to see how I was tracking and how I can improve throughout the rest of my time at OEFN. employers may have different views and opinions that are different in comparison to their employees when constructing feedback. This is why it is important to have feedback, in case it is unaware for people who are maybe not aware of it. ‘What seems very clear to us is not always seen that way by the students’, (Epigeum, 2011). 

My second and final evaluation was a great way to finish the internship, and seeing whether I was an asset and valued at OEFN. It was great to see that I had multiple strong skills listed which was amazing to see. Skills including software designing, ability to work alone, and continuing to have great punctuality and presentations was great. Improvements to focus on were similar to the first evaluation, where It was recommended that I added my ideas and contributed a bit more. ‘Feedback is an essential part of effective learning. It helps students understand the subject being studied and gives them clear guidance on how to improve their learning,’ (University of Reading, 2022).

It was great to see that the team at OEFN really appreciated having me there and that they were pleased to have me be there. Although my hours at OEFN would have been much more practical whilst the season was commencing, it was great to be a part of the operations of the organisations. My time at OEFN has shown me to take on any opportunity that comes your way. Especially with the fact that you are there for experience in that industry, as well the fact there are other people who you are competing with.

OEFN has been a great part to put down on my folio and have a bit of experience in. The placement has only made me want to get into this industry more, and take on more tasks and gain more experience. It has shown me that I would still very much like to continue in this industry, whether being in the sports media or the sports business industry. It has only encouraged me to gain experience at other organisations as well, and put my foot forward ahead of everyone else.

Although the timing with the internship was unfortunate, it was still great to have completed the full 228 hours given how late I was to start. Leaving OEFN I really did enjoy the different work given to me, as well the people around who were able to support me and include me in conversations. I do not feel as though I would not have gone into the office every weekday if I was not enjoying it as much. I really wanted to take any opportunity and task, as well enjoy my time there which I very much did.

Image 1 - First evaluation at Outer East Football Netball

Image 2 - Second evaluation at Outer East Football Netball (first page)

Image 3 - Second evaluation at Outer East Football Netball (second page)

Reference List

Epigeum. (2011). The importance of feedback to students, https://www.epigeum.com/downloads/uct_accessible/us/06_mark/html/course_files/3_10.html

University of Reading. (2022). Why is feedback important, https://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/engageinfeedback/Whyisfeedbackimportant/

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Entry 6 - Career Aspirations

Since I was a young boy I had always wanted to be involved with sport as a career. My dad would often bring me along to a lot of sporting events when I was a kid, as he was involved with a lot of sporting organisations including the Western Bulldogs Football Club, Cycling Victoria, and Lawn Bowls Victoria. I had been passionate with sport ever since I was taken to my first Australian Football League (AFL) game at 5 years old, supporting the Carlton Football Club. I would the be involved with sport myself, from playing football at age 5. At that age I wanted to be an AFL player, or involved with sports.

Getting into my final years in school I was still unsure what I wanted to do/study I was still very keen to get into sport, but was not too sure about the courses that would help me out get there. I was very good and interested in media and thought it would be great to learn something similar that too involved sport having media involved.

The Sport Media Course was perfect for me. Ever since I attended the open night during the year, I was captured by Sam who was the one addressing the class (Image 1). Besides the content in which he was describing, he was very energetic and friendly which made me feel that the course was great to have lecturers such as himself. The opening night, along with the handbook was perfect for making me decide that this course was the one for me. ‘The first step to success is reading the course handbook thoroughly to ensure that you will be studying something you are interested in and that leads to the career you want’, (Good Universities Guide, 2022). With the course being so new, It is great to have especially with the industry within sport and media increasing each year with more job opportunities.

It was not until the Sport Media Course at Holmesglen where I felt as though I had so many opportunities and experiences that would allow me to go into this industry (Image 2). ‘A recent survey showed two thirds of employers look for graduates with relevant work experience because it helps them prepare for work and develop general business awareness’, (UCAS, 2019).

The course ultimately made me want to go into the industry even more based on how amazing it is. The fact that the course is that enjoyable, made me want to go in again to complete the double degree in business as well. 

The Sports Media course has allowed me to show the different sides of sport in the workplace. Before starting the course I was very keen to get into Sports Journalism, however the course showed me how many other great subjects there were that made me very engaged with the content. Areas including Marketing, Public Relations (Relations), as well video editing made me very engaged and happy if I was to end up in this industry. 

Many of the subjects in the course were good for me academically as well professionally. Subjects including Transition to Professional Practice allowed me to focus on my skills and personality when going for interviews. It also allowed me to show what to focus on when doing a resume for a job, and how to focus around what the description is.  

Image 1 - Holmesglen Chadstone Campus

Image 2 - Photo of me taken on the trainline being my first month into the course

Reference List

Good Universities Guide. (2022). Tips on choosing a course, https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/study-information/study-options/choosing-a-course

UCAS. 2019, Is work experience important?, https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/work-experience-important#:~:text=A%20recent%20survey%20showed%20two,and%20develop%20general%20business%20awareness.&text=To%20gain%20a%20better%20understanding,work%20shadowing%20with%20an%20employer.

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Entry 5 - Achievements and Milestones

When starting my placement I wanted to establish a few goals for me to achieve whilst completing my internship. ‘Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life’, (Mind Tools, 2022).

My biggest achievement is that I finished the full 228 hours of my internship! Although this may not seem like a real achievement too as many other interns or students, I am really excited based on the fact I did not think I would finish my whole internship in time. This was after I was asked by Holmesglen to just get as many hours as I could, because they were not too sure whether or not I would complete my internship in time for the end date to cut.

Other achievements and milestones that I reached includes getting to 100 hours in just under 4 weeks of going in every day was amazing. It was an extra step to make me feel closer to finishing. The fact that I was in the office more day and doing more hours than some people who were in the office felt insane. It helped make me socialise to everyone and manage relationships with them on a regular day basis. 

Being an intern I learnt along the way how important your work is for people, and although it is good to have drafts you do not want to have constant errors and mistakes. I had learnt this especially when designing in particular the fixtures for the league as well each Football club in the Outer East Football Netball (OEFN) League. After I would finish the club and league fixtures I would go over them about 10 times to makes sure everything was correct. The smallest of details including dates, teams, different logos can make a huge difference from an audience perspective as unprofessional. Which is why I went over it for overs, just to makes sure everything was correct and all in order. Especially when a popular league such as OEFN has almost 10,000 likes, would look unprofessional on behalf of the league. I felt as though I was wasting time by looking over it for so long. However, after I had sent them through to Cameron for him to final check he thought that they were amazing which was great to hear. His feedback and honest opinion made me feel more confident and comfortable about the work in which I was doing. ‘Feedback offers a chance of closing a gap between current performance and the performance expected by the tutor’, (Al Bashir et al., 2016). 

One of my strengths is video editing and I was lucky enough to be given a chunk of it to help out one of the umpires (John) who was associated with OEFN. I spent majority of my hours editing and creating three separate videos, which equivalated to just under one hour of running time across the three all together (Image 1 & 2). John said he was that impressed with the editing of videos that I had produced for him, and wondered if I wanted to help him with other umpire editing work casually for him. It made me feel appreciative, especially with the long hours I would be doing. It made me feel valued and an a massive achievement that my work had been noticed at the OEFN all. 

Image 1 - John showing a signal through Premiere Pro showing the clips and overlay used

Image 2 - Finished product of one of the videos, showing the total time to take exporting

Reference List

Al Bashir, M., Kabir, R., & Rahman, I. (2016). The Value and Effectiveness of Feedback in Improving Students’ Learning and Professionalizing Teaching in Higher Education, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105282.pdf

Mind Tools. (2022). Personal Goal Setting, https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html#:~:text=Setting%20goals%20gives%20you%20long,the%20most%20of%20your%20life.

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Entry 4 - Challenges Faced

Starting at Outer East Football Netball I felt challenged as soon as I started, not based on the fact that I was nervous, or would feel worried, but rather the fact that I would not finish my internship hours before graduating. 

Throughout my current time at Outer East Football Netball, the biggest challenge I have had to face is the fact that I have to smash my hours out so I can finish with all the other students. Since starting at Outer East Football Netball, I have been in the office every single weekday from 10:00 to either 4:00 - 4:30. The fact that I was doing about 30 hours a week, and could still come up short to finishing my hours. I was overworking so much that I was beginning to feel stressed out, and not feeling as motivated as I would usually feel. ‘Continuous and prolonged working, lacks of breaks during the day, and consecutive days of working without a day off lead to decreased efficiency and productivity in workers’, (Prasad, 2019).

Travelling in and out was not too bad everyday since I have a car. However it does take anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours to get either to or from home. The long hours in office, and then to make it home whilst being stuck in traffic for 2 hours was not challenging for me, however I felt stressed and over worked. I was still working part time and would often go straight from the office to work directly. A Wednesday night a few weeks ago, I had been in the office all day and then travelled to work where I closed for the night and got home at about 11:30. It was not an option though, I needed to get my hours done and I wanted to finish my degree with all my friends from my current degree. Cameron had even told me a few times that I was allowed to take a day or two of a week and not have to come in everyday. 

Other challenges that I had faced that were minor but still up there was the paperwork and magnets that was handed to me the first few days I had began (Image 1 & 2). It was not that I hated it and that I knew it had to be done, but it just made me feel paranoid thinking they did not know what to do with me. Especially when hearing how other students had been doing interviews with sporting athletes, and getting straight into it having the best experience that they could possibly get. It was only a small, thing but I honestly just wanted to be given whatever I could so it could count as hours for me.

In the very last week/s of my placement when I had all of my work assigned to me, Cameron wanted me to stay at home as it was not necessary for me to come into the office. Even though he was very right about this and that I did do it, I really did not want to due to the lack of motivation and possibly slacking off. I felt due to not interacting face to face, I lost interest being at home rather than being in office. Similar to when I would be doing the same thing for classes at Holmesglen. ‘The classroom setting provides more motivation, encouragement, and direction’, (Paul & Jefferson, 2019).

Image 1 - Magnets of all the players names in the Eastern Rangers boys and girls

Image 2 - Paperwork of Netball and Football stats from 2021

Reference List

Paul, J., & Jefferson F. (2019).  A Comparative Analysis of Student Performance in an Online vs. Face-to-Face Environmental Science Course From 2009 to 2016, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2019.00007/full

Prasad, B. (2019). Chronic Overworking: Cause Extremely Negative Impact on Health and Quality of Life, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333746827_Chronic_Overworking_Cause_Extremely_Negative_Impact_on_Health_and_Quality_of_Life 

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Entry 3 - Becoming an effective team member and contributor

Nothing is more important than having confidence and the ability to socialise to your workers and maintain a relationship with them. Personally as assumed everyone else feels the same when completing their internships, I was a little nervous and was not has confident to put myself out there as I usually would in my daily life. 

I feel as though I am a confident person once people get to know me, however when new to someone I would not be as open as I would with other people. I personally believe that having high levels of confidence and communication levels is a great asset to have in the workforce. ‘ confidence allows you to speak concisely and with clarity; Effective communication is critically important for career advancement’, (Kaplan Professional, 2019).

 In the office though I feel I tried to put myself out there as often as possible. I would rather get something wrong and be unsure to ask, rather than quietly sit in my chair for an hour debating to ask someone because I did not have the courage to do so. After all, the reason you are there is because the organisation wanted to have you there.

This would be asking Cameron for any tasks in which he had ready for me, or asking his opinion on how I went on certain tasks and seeing if I could improve anywhere. By talking to Cameron and other people in the office about habits and activities happening in our personal lives, it made me feel as though I had been welcomed by the team at Outer East Football Netball. It made me feel part of the team very fast and that I was contributing to the work they had assigned for me. 

With not starting my internship until the last week of November and needing to finish 228 hours by the end of January, it made me feel as though the team at Outer East Football Netball were not as keen to have me there. Also with it being planned that I would have been in the office at least a month prior which did not happen. It ultimately made me question whether or not I was going to experience an internship, and finish my placement just like all my peers had been doing at my time. ‘If you have low self-esteem or low self-confidence, you may find that individual negative or disappointing experiences affect how you feel about yourself’, (The University of Queensland, Australia, 2019).

This was not ultimately till they had their Christmas Party on their very last day of the year before they broke off (Image 1 & 2). Only have being there for my fourth week, the team had welcomed me into joining them as one of their own. It made me feel very comfortable around them as it was only the office workers and their families who were there. 

By the people in the office treating me this way, it was able to build up my confidence to feel as though I am part of the Outer East Football Netball team. Allowing me to confidently go to Cameron and other workers for questions, where I can be effective and help them out without hesitation. 

Image 1 - Setup of the Christmas party held in the conference room

Image 2 - Santa at the Outer East Football Netball Christmas party handing presents out to staff and children

Reference List

Kaplan Professional. (2019). Why is confidence in the workplace important and how do I improve mine?, https://www.kaplanprofessional.edu.au/blog/why-is-confidence-in-the-workplace-important-and-how-do-i-improve-mine/#:~:text=You'll%20communicate%20more%20effectively,critically%20important%20for%20career%20advancement.

The University of Queensland, Australia. (2019), Self-esteem and self-confidence, https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/health-and-wellbeing/self-help-resources/self-esteem-and-self-confidence

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Entry 2 - Finding your feet in the internship (40 hours)

The first few days of the internship, the operations managers were giving me paper work to do for the first few days. After finishing what paperwork there needed to be done. The operations managers wanted me to make templates for the football fixture in 2022. The templates for all three of the grades being Premier Division, Division 1, and Division 2. 

I felt a bit pressured to be honest to be given such a big responsibility with not even being a week in. Although I was keen to show my skills that I had gathered during the course and apply them to the Outer East Football Netball (OEFN). ‘Internships supply valuable employees and competent job applicants to the company’, (Crumbley & Sumners, 1998). My placement at OEFN I felt would give me a better understanding on how the workforce is, and the type of environment which is involved. ‘One of the top reasons to do an internship is to gain practical experience that complements what you’ve learnt during your studies’, (GradConnection, 2019).

I had started off doing at least 10 different templates a day. All on different platforms, with different fonts, images, tables, anything that I would be able to hand in and would have a different look from the rest of them. After submitting to the Operations Manager (Cameron) a suitable one that he was impressed with, I would then be able to make duplicates of that one and apply across all three divisions. 

Then after finding the one Cameron would like I would have to use that template for Premier Division, Division 1, and Division 2. After the templates I was to them add the teams into the templates as well and create it all. This consisted of fitting 21 rounds of football into a A4 document that was readable for the audience. 

Everything from the teams playing, to the dates being correct, the template being in match, and spelling had to all be checked at least 5 times. It then came to sponsors for the leagues, as well the logo for OEFN itself after they had changed from their name and logo the previous year. 

Colours had to be similar to the leagues colours which would be predominantly green, with a little bit of blue and white to go with it as well. Images of the teams would be used to go into the background of the fixture and to be transparent. This way it would still be easy for the audience to read the matches without the photo standing out. It would then come to images that include the teams in the divisions, as well players who look to be having fun, not smoking/drinking, do not make the league look bad by having a certain image (Image 1 & 2). 

With the leagues main social media platform of Facebook having almost 10,000 likes, you need to have no mistakes or errors that would make the league look bad. This is from both the league and yourself.

I adjusted pretty well with my first 40 hours. I am able to start conversations with people in the office, as well as ask any questions or concerns that I may find.

Image 1 - Outer East Football Netball Division 1 Football Fixture 2022

Image 2 - Outer East Football Netball Division 2 Football Fixture 2022

Reference List

Crumbley, D. L., & Sumners, G. E. (1998), How businesses profit from internships, https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=googlescholar&id=GALE|A54250896&v=2.1&it=r&sid=AONE&asid=6708aaab

GradConnection. (2019). Why an internship is important for career growth, https://au.gradconnection.com/blog/students/post/internship-important-for-career-growth/

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Entry 1 - Preparedness prior to commence of internship, and organisation’s culture

Starting my internship with Outer East Football Netball (OEFN), I was prepared and very keen to get straight into the office. Prior to the internship I had not had any internships with as big as a sporting league like OEFN. However, had always been around local sporting clubs whether gaining experience, participating, or enjoying spectating. Having an understanding in OEFN, it helps to show your understanding and contribution to the league. 

The fact that I was able to start in the office rather than at home remotely was amazing to have. Although with that being said I had lost a bit of hope whether or not the internship would happen to me as I had started late in November. It made me question whether or not the organisation is keen to have me as an intern or not. 

Starting on the first day was about 30 degrees. Ideally I would have loved to have worn shorts and maybe a nice polo. ‘Dressing well gives you confidence and self-assurance’, (Gulati, 2018). However I would have rather overdressed and be too professional over under dressed and not professional, as first impressions mean everything. ‘You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression’, (Uleman, et al. 2008).

First day starting in the office was both overwhelming thus exciting. Walking in everyone in the office got out of their chairs to introduce themselves to me which made me feel very welcomed. It also showed the type of environment and culture that the organisation has with one another and to guests which is amazing.

Like all interns and new people in jobs do, you get given the jobs that have to be completed and that no one wants to do. E.g. coffee runs, updating websites, cleaning... On the first day I had to count the number of sponsorship signs that the league have in their storage rooms, including finding out the logo of the organisation had changed (Image 1). Sure it was not what you would want starting right away, but it has to be done and do it with a positive attitude. By having a positive attitude and engaging conversations with the workers which are there, it leads to more opportunities and taking what comes your way.

Later in the day when I was putting players names on a whiteboard, one of the workers who is an umpire asked for my help specifically in video editing which is part of my degree and right up my alley. He mentioned how he did not plan on giving it to me, however because I had been talking to him that day and about my degree he wanted to give me something where I can apply my skills in.

The first day was amazing, so amazing that I was keen to go into the office every weekday until I had finished all of my hours. I wanted to set aside everything else and make the placement my main priority (Image 2). It also helps show to the people there the type of person you are, and how great of a workplace it is to be a part of. 

Image 1 - Outer East Football Netball Logo (after it had been changed previously to AFL Outer East)

Image 2 - Photo of my unavailability with my part time work at Grill’d

Reference List

Gulati. B. (2018).  Overdress or Underdress? That Is The Question, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/overdress-underdress-question-bobby-gulati/

Uleman. J. S., Saribay. S. A., & Gonzalez. C. M. (2008), Spontaneous inferences, implicit impressions, and implicit theories, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17854284/#:~:text=Implicit%20knowledge%20includes%20adult%20folk,cultural%20and%20social%20class%20differences.&text=Spontaneous%20social%20inferences%20include%20a,to%20other%20phenomena%20and%20theories.