While playing for South Adelaide Football Club, Joel Cross (MBA ’23) decided he was ready to explore a new career path. Acting on a recommendation from club contacts to check out what major sponsor Flinders University could offer, he took the leap of faith into an MBA and has since applied his learned skills into a burgeoning career as a business leader.

“Juggling playing professional sport with work and study was pretty challenging, but Flinders was very flexible and I studied largely online, so that made it easier to squeeze in study when I had the time,” Joel says.

During this period, Joel was General Manager of Flagstaff Hill Golf Club and could clearly see how his new studies were directly applicable to both his employment and role as a leader on the footy field. Since graduating, Joel has become the General Manager of Community Cricket at the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA).

“There’s a lot of practical stuff undertaken in terms of leadership, which is the most important part of being in general manager positions these days, really leading people, which I found most relevant,” says Joel.

“We’ve got 30 staff and probably 50 or 60 casuals in the community cricket department at SACA, so it’s really important to make sure that they’re all getting what they need out of their career as well.

“If they’re engaged, they’re going to perform a lot better. There are a lot of different personality types in the modern workforce, so understanding what those types are, the need for diversity, the need for having different perspectives on life and work is really important for me as a leader at SACA.”

Of all the MBA subjects, it was one on sustainability that really got Joel thinking. Not something he had previously explored, it inspired him to become a founding member of the SACA Sustainability Committee and help develop new ways forward for the organisation.

“There’s a lot happening at SACA right now, and I’ve only been in the role for eight months, so I’m keen to learn more, but ultimately it’s just about getting people into playing cricket and giving them great experiences through the staff that we employ,” Joel says.

“I was an accountant by trade, but wanted to be involved with people more, so with my background in sport I knew I’d enjoy the role – people are what I’m most passionate about, giving them the best opportunities possible and getting kids involved with cricket and creating fun times for them, it’s a pretty cool remit!”

It’s clear to see the linear path between sporting programs SACA run at grassroots level, into state cricket and beyond for young South Australians. Similarly, Flinders is trying to help the next generation of sports industry professionals find their niche by offering work placement opportunities in all aspects of SACA’s day-to-day operations.

“When students come in, they get significant exposure to all the touchpoints of community cricket,” says Joel.

“It gives them a good taste of different career options to then pursue, whether that’s the marketing and commercial space or the high-performance space, it just gives them a realistic view of what working in the sporting industry can entail before they go out looking for a job.”

 

CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP

In 2023 Flinders University signed as the Official Education Partner of SACA, in addition to being the Principal Partner of the Adelaide Strikers Women’s Big Bash League team.

The partnership is centred on the co-design and co-delivery of curriculum programs, student placements with the Strikers and elite athlete research opportunities with SACA. Flinders’ logo will be proudly displayed on match screens, and on the front of the Adelaide Strikers women’s playing shirts for the 2024/25 season.