Basketball ACT Believes Traineeships in Sport Sets up a Young Person for Life

This year, Basketball ACT recently took on their first trainee, proud Mudburra and Mabuiag man, Lachy Mayo. The impact he has had not only on the organisation but the Indigenous community has been inspiring. His supervisor, Basketball ACT’s General Manager Operations, Nicole Bowles, believes Lachy is an asset to the organisation by being a fundamental figure in engaging youth, which in turn has played a key role in increasing participation numbers in the sport.

“As a sport we are growing, and right now participation numbers are going through the roof and there is no doubt Lachy has contributed to this success,” said Nicole. 

There is so much Lachy does for us, and his passion for Basketball shines through in everything he does. What is amazing to see, is the effect he has on the Indigenous community. The kids see him as a spokesperson and a role model and he is inspiring the next generation.” 

“There has been a lot we have learnt from Lachy and continue to learn from Lachy. He is able to share bits and pieces of his story, culture and traditions which increases our cultural awareness. He is able to connect to young people in the community, not just because of his love and passion for basketball but through his culture.” 

 Basketball ACT have recently given Lachy the opportunity to go back to country, in Darwin, later in the year, where he has never been before. The opportunity will give Lachy the chance to work closely with Basketball NT and connect to his ancestry.

“We are really excited about this opportunity, and we think it’s really important that we not only provide Lachy with professional development but also personal development, and so this will be very special for him.” 

The team at Basketball ACT decided to take on a trainee as they were looking to deliver their sport in a more sustainable model and engage with more young people and schools. They also saw the traineeship as an opportunity for a young person to get their foot in the door of the sporting industry.

“We had challenges within our delivery arm but that all changed with Lachy on board. It’s just great to see him getting all this hands-on experience and for him to be able to see how a sporting organisation is run. I think that is so important about the traineeship program, the experience, the qualification, and the networks the young person gains and from there you never know where they will be inspired to go. 

In his role, Lachy is responsible for community engagement but has been given the opportunity to sit in on meetings with the national body for Basketball.

“He learns about the operations of the sport industry, training and delivery and work health and safety, he also gets to have a really good look at how a registration system works. He learns about customer experience, and he is our first point of contact when people want to know about our products and programs, and he helps guide new members on their basketball journey.  

He continues to grow and develop his professional skills, like his communication. He is now able not just to talk to people in the community and his peers but also adults and high-performance stakeholders. It’s not just the day-to-day stuff he does, we challenge him to meet new people and come into meetings with Basketball Australia which is exciting for him.” 

Lachy also brings a fresh new perspective to the organisation.

“He makes us see things through a different lens. He raises new ideas, if he has spoken with parents he shares feedback and makes suggestions on program improvements. We learn so much from him just as much as he learns from us. 

All in all, the traineeship experience has been nothing but fantastic. Lachy is amazing and in terms of getting a trainee on board, AFL SportsReady makes our lives so much easier by doing all the hard work to present us with excellent candidates. 

I truly believe traineeships are not explored enough in sports and we need to seriously recognise that traineeships set up a young person for life.”

Basketball ACT are so impressed by Lachy and the traineeship program that they have decided to take on a second a trainee to support their marketing department.

To find out about our other job opportunities, click here. If you are interested in becoming a host employer and giving a young person a go, download our employers guide to traineeships.

DATE: 27th of July 2021

AUTHOR: Marissa Pagliarello

IMAGE: Basketball ACT Lachy Mayo