Love sport and want to make it your career? 

If you love sport, you’ve probably wondered whether you could turn that passion into a career. But where do you start? 

Well, there’s no single route into the sports industry. You might enjoy making videos, getting stuck into the stats or learning how the human body works. Each of those interests could take you towards a different role in sport, from helping a club connect with its fans to understanding the science of athlete performance. 

Through Curtin’s connections with the Fremantle Dockers, students and graduates have had the chance to explore some of those possibilities. 

Here are a few of their stories, along with some ideas to help you find your own starting point. Jump to: 

• Sports marketing: If you enjoy creating content and connecting with people
• Data science in sport: if you love statistics and solving problems
• Exercise and sport science: If you are curious about movement and performance

Sports marketing: if you enjoy creating content and connecting with people 

Marketing could suit you if you like understanding an audience and finding ways to reach them. In sport, that might mean helping a club share its stories, communicate with supporters or develop a campaign. 

Curtin commerce student Holly explored that work during a Dockers internship, building experience in marketing and communication.

Graduate Pete Curulli has taken his Marketing and Advertising background into broadcasting and presenting, including a role as the club’s home-game MC 

Find your starting point in sports marketing 

A good place to start is with a campaign from a club you love (e.g. the Dockers’ “The Best Things in Life are Freo”, or West Coast Eagles’ “All the Way West”). Scroll their socials, and think about the way they’re talking, what they’re showing you and what they want you to do. Then, have a go at coming up with your own posts. It’s a chance to see which parts of marketing you enjoy most – and where you might want to take your future.  

As you explore courses, look for a mix of creative work, audience research and strategy. Our Marketing major covers what makes people tick and how to connect with them through advertising, media and events – with lots of practical opportunities to immerse yourself in industry. 

Explore Marketing at Curtin

Data science in sport: if you love statistics and solving problems 

Data science could suit you if you enjoy maths, coding and working out what information is really telling you. You’ll also need to communicate complex findings clearly so other people can understand and use them. 

Curtin graduate Trent Picciacco applied data and machine learning to athlete performance through work with the Dockers and the Kookaburras. 

Find a path into sports data 

Try finding a small set of publicly available sports stats online and exploring one question. Make a chart, explain what you found and consider what the numbers can’t tell you. That last step is just as useful as spotting a pattern. 

As you research courses, look for a mix of programming, statistics and practical problem-solving. Our Data Science major teaches you to extract, analyse and visualise large volumes of data, with opportunities to apply your skills to real-world challenges. 

Explore Data Science at Curtin 

Exercise and sport science: if you’re curious about movement and performance 

Exercise and sport science focuses on how the body responds to movement and exercise. It’s worth exploring if you enjoy biology, hands-on learning and helping people work towards physical goals. 

Physiotherapy is another route to investigate if you are interested in movement and rehabilitation. 

Curtin grad and Dockers AFLW player Hayley Miller brought her interests in health and sport together, studying physiotherapy while pursuing her football career.

Discover a path in movement and performance 

Try tracking something simple during a walk, training session or even a usual day, such as pace, heart rate, distance or time. Can you spot any patterns? You don’t need to draw a firm conclusion. Just see whether you enjoy observing movement, asking questions and working with evidence. 

Our Exercise and Sport Science degree lists careers including exercise scientist and strength and conditioning coach. Through our partnership with the Dockers, it may also provide opportunities to work with elite athletes during a professional placement. 

Physiotherapy is a separate professional qualification worth exploring, too. At Curtin, you’ll learn how to assess and manage injuries and health conditions through treatment, exercise and other strategies, while building practical experience through laboratory classes and supervised placements. 

Compare the course content, placements and professional requirements carefully. Ask yourself whether you are most interested in exercise and performance, clinical rehabilitation or another aspect of health. Those differences can help you choose your next step. 

Explore Exercise and Sport Science at Curtin 

Explore Physiotherapy at Curtin 

150 placements and counting

Over the past 11 years, Curtin’s partnership with the Fremantle Dockers has seen students across exercise science, multimedia, business and architecture put their learning into practice at the club. In just the past five years alone, our students have taken part in more than 150 placements – with the number continuing to grow. 

Practical learning experiences at Curtin extend well beyond the Dockers. Our industry partnerships and work-integrated learning opportunities give students ways to explore their interests and gain practical experience across a range of workplaces, industries and sometimes even countries. 

As you search for courses, look beyond the title to the subjects, projects and practical experiences on offer. Ask how placements work, how students are selected and which organisations have hosted them. Opportunities vary, so it’s worth finding out what could be available during your studies. 

You can start exploring closer to home, too. A local sporting club might welcome help with its social posts, coaching or problem-solving. Having a go can help you discover what you enjoy and the skills you’d like to develop, wherever your career takes you.