AFL SportsReady Eastern Suburbs Field Officer & Champion Australian Netballer has done us proud! Eloise is the current Co- Captain of Melbourne Netball Team Melbourne Phoenix. Eloise shot her way to victory over the Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth bank trophy Grand final. The final score on the day’s event was Phoenix 61 Swifts 44.

My name is Adam Britter and I am a first year AFL SportsReady trainee at the Essendon Football Club in metropolitan Victoria. I am studying Certificate III in Retail Management and Operations. I have been given the role of running the merchandise department with another trainee Joshua Boyle and we have the responsibility of running the world famous Bombershop, the best merchandise shop in the A.F.L. Please take the time to read how I go about my job on a day to day basis.

8:45 a.m I arrive at work and check and reply to e-mails and I also put the float for the day in the till, and prepare for a busy day of selling.

9:00 a.m. Check in with my supervisor (Xavier Fergus Floyd Codd) and get all tasks for the day and open the doors for what is going to be another busy day.

9:30 a.m Then we pack all Internet and catalogue orders and send them all in the mail to be posted out. Today we have 15 Internet orders to be posted out.

10:15 am Because Josh and myself run the merchandise department with the help of our supervisor and all round nice guy Xavier, we take on the responsibilities of doing all the stores ordering and invoice processing, so today I did all the necessary ordering for the store, while josh does all the invoicing to keep our stock and system up to date.

12:00 p.m. Now is about the time where I head over to the world famous Essendon Football Club Social Club, where we indulge in the magnificent chicken snitzel sandwiches and off course our free glasses of lemon squash to accompany the meal as well.

1:00 p.m. Back at the desk after getting back from lunch and we sit down to update our ever popular Internet site that shows all of the club news, all of the clubs merchandise products and all player profiles and related matters to the club.

2:30 p.m. We go through any outstanding Internet or phone orders that are kept in our back order system. We call all people that have outstanding orders or have any problems with their order such as insufficient stock, declining credit cards or the discontinuation of sale items.

4:00 p.m. Josh and myself stock the shop floor in preparation for the busy day ahead tomorrow. We replace all sold stock for the day and make sure the Puma wall with all of our onfield Essendon stock is look at neat as possible, after a busy day this can be quite a task.

5:00 p.m. Back to the desk – to begin the counting of the money for the day and also the entering of the data, to show the amount of money made in cash, eftpos and Internet sales for the day.

5:30 p.m. Close the shop doors and bag all float money for tomorrow, then get the safe keys, put the money away and bobs your uncle.

5:45 p.m. Sit down with some of the crew from the client services department and talk about the day we have all just endured! Then toddle off back to my beloved Strathmore home!!!

That is the Day in the life Adam Britter the Essendon Football Club

A normal day can see Jess answering phone calls, emails and doing data entry, cheques, filing and organising and attending meetings. The downside is that she can sometimes be too busy to achieve everything she wants to in a day.

Jessica completed an AFL SportsReady traineeship in the Northern Territory at AFLNT. After completing her traineeship she was offered a full-time job with her host employer and worked there for another year. She then moved to Melbourne where she managed an Athletes Foot store. Whilst working there Jess was told of a position at AFLPA and applied as a receptionist. She was interviewed twice for the role and was ultimately successful. From there she was promoted to her current role.

She says she didn’t plan her career and that it was more a case of “being in the right place at the right time”. However, she does have goals for the future that she has set in her mind. She formulates these plans “by talking to my manager and getting her to help.”

Time management and prioritising, commitment and communication are ways that women excel in their careers.

The day was organised to promote women in sport, the variety of roles filled by women and the importance of having women working in sporting organisations.

Those who attended included current and prospective Host Employers, Trainees and Secondary School students.

All were treated to inspirational discussion from a panel of successful women who have made their mark in the sports industry including:

· Jessica Fairchild – AFL Players Association and past AFL SportsReady Trainee

· Beverley O’Connor – Vice President of the Melbourne Football Club

· Samantha Barnes - Past AFL SportsReady Trainee and current AFL SportsReady Host Employer

· Sarah Ashmore - Current AFL SportsReady Trainee

· Lisa Milling - AFL Players Association

· Jane McLennan - Head of Sport & Recreation at Victoria University

· Eloise Southby-Halbish – Champion Australian Netballer, past AFL SportsReady Trainee and current AFL SportsReady Traineeship Consultant.

· Jodi Featherston – Football Victoria, past AFL SportsReady Trainee

Guest Speaker Lisa Milling introduced the afternoon followed by a welcome from Philip Wallbridge, AFL SportsReady CEO, (who was feeling a bit overwhelmed as the only man in the room!).

A DVD starring female AFL SportsReady trainees in a number of different fields lead into the question and answer session.

The panellists spoke about the challenges and advantages of being a woman in the sporting industry. They shared their experiences and very generously gave hints and tips on how to get into the sporting industry and how to progress through the ranks.

All panellists were very informative and passionate about what they do. This was particularly taken on board by the ladies in the audience with many questions being asked afterwards.

After the panel discussion, guests were asked to join AFL SportsReady staff and panellists for tea or coffee and scones.

The ‘Leaps and Bounds’ afternoon tea was very successful and couldn’t have gone ahead without the generosity of sponsors Nike, Aurora Spa Retreat, Avon, Bonne Belle, AFL Hall of Fame & Sensation, Headmasters, Kangan Batman TAFE & Women’s Golf Victoria.

Bring on ‘Leaps and Bounds’ in 2006!!