Annabel Williams

From the Sydney Sixes as a student to a fulltime role at Cricket NSW before her current position at Swimming Australia, International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) alumna Annabel Williams has dived right into an exciting career in the sports industry.

Annabel, who completed her ICMS Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) degree in 2020, is the Event Experience Manager at Swimming Australia.

She was part of the team that put together Sydney’s Duel in the Pool event which opened the Festival of Swimming in August 2022 at Bondi Beach and the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. The Duel in the Pool, in the spirit of fun, ignites the longstanding rivalry between Australian and American top class swimmers.

“What an incredible event to be a part of; being part of the team that brought Duel in the Pool back to Sydney for the first time in 15 years was truly weird and wonderful,” Annabel said.

“I can’t wait for Duel in the Pool to be even bigger and better next year, bring on the rivalry!”

Industry training leads to full time employment at Cricket NSW

Annabel completed her ICMS industry training over the 2018/19 summer of cricket at the Sydney Sixers, a franchise cricket club which takes part in Australia’s domestic T20 league.

“I had a fantastic summer working with the Membership, Ticketing and Hospitality team across Woman’s Big Bash League (WBBL) at venues such as North Sydney Oval and Drummoyne and the Big Bash League (BBL) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

“My internship provided me with a great opportunity to learn invaluable skills that I will use for the rest of my career, customer service, management and communication with members, fans, colleagues, and other stakeholders, as well as strategies and skills that were heavily used during two Covid-19 impacted Big Bash seasons,” Annabel said.

Industry training, also known as internships, is part of the ICMS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program and is part of every degree offered at ICMS, located in Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, and in the city of Sydney.

“Without my time as an intern at the Sydney Sixers, I absolutely wouldn’t be where I am today, so I am grateful for the fantastic placement program in place at ICMS,” Annabel said.

“About 6 months after my industry training, my manager called to say there was a Membership Assistant opportunity at Cricket NSW and to apply; a few weeks later and only a year and a half into my degree, I landed my first full time job, whilst still studying.”

From Cricket NSW to Swimming Australia

In March 2022, Annabel was appointed Event Experience Manager at Swimming Australia.

With nearly 1,000 clubs and 90,000 registered members nationally, Swimming Australia is the country’s peak governing body for swimming.

“Whilst different to my previous role at Cricket NSW, I was excited for the challenge and to learn all about the swimming world. Within three weeks of my new role, we held the Australian Age and Para Championships in Adelaide. I was truly ‘thrown in the deep end’, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!”

What was studying Sports Management at ICMS like?

“During my time at ICMS I felt as though mine and my fellow students’ career goals were always put first. In each class our lecturers spoke of stories and experiences from their relevant industries, and it gave us a great insight into what working in sport and events is like. We had guest speakers attend our classes, such as Wallaby Nick Phipps and sports business gurus like Margot Harley, as well as excursions to state and national sporting centres.

“We were also given the opportunity to attend the Sports Summit at the SCG and hear from a range of sports professionals on all different topics from high performance to marketing and technology. I was fortunate to attend the Melbourne Sports Summit in 2018 and 2019 to visit and hear from the largest sporting bodies in the AFL and attend the Sports Tech World Series Conference. I believe all these activities assisted me immensely in getting a head start in the industry.”

ICMS as The Professional Mentor

“The ICMS WIL placement team and one of my brilliant lecturers, Ian Evans, supported me in finding my industry placement at the Sixers and I am excited I am now able to offer the same opportunity to ISCA and ICMS students at Swimming Australia,” Annabel said.

“The industry training program, the small class sizes and scholarship opportunities were major factors in my decision to study at ICMS. The small classes allowed me to get to know my cohort well and make many wonderful lifelong friends. This assisted many of us to be comfortable and confident in our classes and take the most out of our lessons and the professional experiences of our lecturers.”

Best aspect of working in the Sports Industry?

“Seeing the reaction of fans and members is the best thing about working in the sports industry. Seeing the joy that sport brings to the punters who love it makes all the long hours and physical event days totally worth it,” Annabel said.

“Another pretty great perk is knowing people in other sports to get complimentary tickets every now and then. This also makes it fun to come along as a fan and sit amongst it taking in the atmosphere; Australians’ love of sport motivates us to bring them the entertainment and excitement they are looking for.”

For more information on the ICMS Bachelor of Business (Sports Management), click here.

For more information on the ICMS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Program, click here.

For more information on ICMS as The Professional Mentor, click here.