NETBALL NSW OVERVIEW
Netball NSW is a not-for-profit organisation governed by a Board of Directors and managed by professional staff. As the peak state sporting body for netball in New South Wales, it is responsible for the governance, development, promotion and administration of the sport, and is affiliated with Netball Australia.
Netball NSW provides a comprehensive framework supporting approximately 119,000 registered members and more than 150,000 participants across all levels of the game. The sport’s continued growth is driven by the wide range of programs, facilities and services offered, from grassroots participation to professional pathways.
Netball NSW has a strong history of elite performance, with over 300 athletes representing the state since 1997, including through the Suncorp Super Netball competition featuring the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball.
Our Vision: Netball is NSW’s leading sport of choice and opportunity
Our Purpose: Lead and support our Netball community to grow and thrive
Our Values & Behaviours:
- WELCOMING: We are an inclusive community for everyone.
- ONE TEAM: We respect and value each other.
- BEST ALWAYS: We aspire to excellence.
- INTEGRITY: We play fair and take ownership of our actions.
- FUN: We love what we do.
NSW Swifts Overview:
The NSW Swifts are one of the most iconic club netball teams globally, with a proud 26-year legacy in Australian sport. Owned by Netball NSW, legends like Liz Ellis, Cath Cox, Laura Langman, and Kim Green have donned the Swifts’ colours.
Originally the Sydney Swifts, they were a founding team in Australia’s first national league, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, winning four titles before rebranding in 2008 for the ANZ Championship. They made history by winning the inaugural ANZ title, thrilling fans with a memorable Grand Final win.
Despite changes over nine ANZ seasons, the Swifts remained a powerhouse, reaching consecutive Grand Finals in 2015 and 2016. In the Suncorp Super Netball era, coach Briony Akle guided the team to Premierships in 2019 and 2021, cementing their place at the top of the sport.
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
Do you have a unique voice and one that is keen to contribute to NSW’s most celebrated and successful elite female sports team? Do you want to be part of the NSW Swifts?
We may have the dream job for you!
We are looking to hire a dedicated, professional and passionate Fan Engagement Officer to join our Champion Team.
The purpose of this position will lead the strategy, planning and delivery of NSW Swifts Fan Engagement across match day, community visits, Fan Engagement Events, Partner activity. The role is accountable for designing joined-up journeys that create a stronger emotional connection to the Club and convert engagement into measurable commercial and audience outcomes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
General:
- Develop and own the Fan Engagement strategy, calendar, budget and operating plan, aligned to Club, Community, Consumer, Commercial and Marketing priorities.
- Collaborate on integrated fan journeys across awareness, engagement, attendance, membership and advocacy, ensuring each activation has a clear audience, call to action, data capture method and follow-up pathway.
- Identify new audiences and growth markets across metropolitan and regional NSW, including junior participants, families, schools, culturally diverse communities, adult fans and lapsed or occasional attendees.
- Build a year-round program that maintains connection between home games through community activity, fan events, digital touchpoints, competitions, rewards, exclusive access and storytelling.
- Use fan feedback, member research, ticketing behaviour, campaign results and event observations to refine the program and prioritise activities with the strongest impact.
Match Day Experience & Fan Zone:
- Lead the end-to-end planning and delivery of all fan-facing match day activations, including the Fan Zone, membership engagement, commercial partner integrations and giveaways.
- Develop a match-by-match activation plan, run sheet, risk controls and contingency arrangements in collaboration with Events, Venue, Marketing, Commercial and High Performance stakeholders.
- Create attractions that improve arrival experience, dwell time, participation and repeat visitation, while managing queues, accessibility, presentation standards and customer service.
- Coordinate player and coach involvement in match day fan experiences, including meet-and-greets, Q&As, signings, member functions, on-court recognition and post-match activity.
- Brief and supervise casual staff, interns, volunteers, suppliers and activation partners; ensure clear roles, service standards, safe work practices and post-event debriefs.
- Measure activation participation, fan feedback, database acquisition, offer redemption and conversion, and recommend improvements after each home match.
Community Experience:
- Lead delivery of the Community Partner Association Program, including relationship management, co-design meetings, Swifts-branded courts, association game days, annual visits, recognition initiatives, ticket offers and promotional support.
- Work with the Communities Team to maintain a structured metropolitan and regional visitation programs and help grow grass roots participation across NSW.
- Plan and deliver activations using player appearances, the inflatable shooting experience, Q&As, signings, competitions, QR-code data capture, merchandise, promotional materials and giveaways.
- Work with associations and schools to agree objectives, promotion responsibilities, schedules, audience needs and post-event sales or communication opportunities.
- Develop scalable activation formats and toolkits that can be delivered consistently by staff or casual teams when the Manager is not present.
Player Appearances & Talent Logistics:
- Act as the day-to-day lead for player appearance requests and maintain the master appearance calendar and accurate tracking of community and marketing hours.
- Assess incoming opportunities against strategic value, contractual obligations, High Performance availability, partner commitments, travel requirements and equitable allocation across players.
- Coordinate confirmations, player briefs, schedules, transport, attire, contact details, event requirements, cancellations, replacement arrangements and on-site support.
Membership, Group Ticketing & Revenue Conversion:
- Develop a year-round group sales and fan conversion plan with associations, clubs, schools, community groups and event participants.
- Own Club and Association relationship activity that supports membership acquisition, retention, group ticketing, fundraising and reward opportunities.
- Create and distribute audience-specific offers and campaign materials, working with Ticketing, Membership, Marketing and associations to maximise reach and conversion.
- Manage sales leads, outbound contact activity, booking enquiries, allocation requirements and performance reporting for assigned fan engagement channels.
- Integrate merchandise and low-cost promotional products into activations where they enhance participation, recall, repeat engagement or revenue.
Partner Activation & Cross-Functional Delivery:
- Work with Commercial to integrate partners into fan experiences in a way that is useful, visible, on-brand and measurable.
- Support partner-hosted or partner-funded fan events, player appearances, clinics, competitions, hospitality and community initiatives.
- Coordinate with Marketing and Content to amplify fan activity before, during and after events, including promotion, live capture, social proof and follow-up communications.
- Collaborate closely with Marketing to deliver non-netball community events to grow the Swifts brand in new markets..
- Manage procurement, inventory, storage, transport and distribution of activation equipment, signage, branded assets and giveaways within approved budgets.
Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement:
- Establish a practical measurement framework for all fan engagement activity, with agreed baselines, targets and consistent data collection.
- Maintain dashboards and provide concise monthly and post-event reporting covering reach, participation, database growth, attendance, revenue, conversion, cost, partner delivery and fan feedback.
- Ensure competitions, QR codes and data collection processes comply with privacy, consent, terms and conditions, brand and record-keeping requirements.
- Conduct an annual review and competitor scan, translating insights into prioritised improvements for the following season.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Essential Qualifications & Experience:
- Demonstrated experience leading fan engagement at a sports club or similar business.
- Proven delivery of live events or match day activations involving multiple stakeholders, suppliers, staff and operational deadlines.
- Experience developing engagement strategies and converting plans into detailed calendars, budgets, briefs and run sheets.
- Strong relationship management skills with the confidence to work across athletes, executives, partners, community organisations and fans.
- Demonstrated ability to use fan, ticketing, CRM, survey or campaign data to evaluate performance and improve activity.
- Excellent written communication, presentation, organisation and problem-solving skills.
- Capacity to work regular evenings, weekends and match days and to travel across New South Wales.
- Current driver licence and willingness to complete required employment, safeguarding and work health and safety checks.
Desirable Knowledge and Skills
- Experience in professional sport, entertainment, major events, venue operations or membership-based organisations.
- Tertiary qualification in sport management, marketing, communications, events, business or a related discipline.
- Experience with ticketing, CRM, email marketing, survey, project management and reporting platforms.
- Knowledge of the NSW netball community, women’s sport and the needs of junior and family audiences.
- Experience managing casual staff, volunteers, interns, activation agencies or promotional suppliers.
Personal Attributes:
- Fan-first and commercially minded.
- Creative, curious and willing to test new ideas.
- Calm, organised and decisive under live-event pressure.
- Collaborative, practical and comfortable working across functional boundaries.
- Inclusive and respectful in designing experiences for diverse audiences.
- Accountable, detail-oriented and committed to follow-through.
WORKING REQUIREMENTS
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The role operates in a seasonal professional sport environment. Flexibility is required around home matches, community events, school and association visits, travel, player availability and changing operational priorities. The position is expected to comply with NSW Swifts and Netball NSW policies, work health and safety requirements, safeguarding obligations, privacy requirements and brand standards.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK (WWCC)
In accordance with Child Protection legislation candidates will be required to provide a Working With Children Check (WWCC) clearance number for verification by Netball NSW prior to employment. Selection of the successful candidate will be based upon the results of child protection screening and relevant reference checks.
CHILD SAFE ORGANISATION
Please note: Netball NSW is committed to protecting Children from harm. We require all applicants that will work with children to undergo an extensive screening process prior to appointment. All candidates must have a valid Working with Children Check.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Netball NSW is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. We encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including but not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people from culturally diverse backgrounds; young people; older workers; people with disabilities; the LGBTQIA+ community; and other under-represented groups.
WHY WORK FOR US?
Netball NSW strives to offer a range of benefits to support a healthy work environment and a sustainable work-life balance, no matter your role and stage in life.
- Additional leave day for your Birthday;
- Free parking or 800m walk to Sydney Olympic Park Train Station;
- NNSW funded membership with the Connected Membership exclusively for Sydney Olympic Park employees, residents and students providing everyday discounts and exclusive offers including free admission offers and discounted tickets for events at Sydney Olympic Park.
- Free and discounted tickets to NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball home games;
- Pawsivity - bring your four-legged friend to work so you can enjoy their happy presence while you work;
- Wellness programs including: our Employment Assistance Program (EAP); NNSW lunchtime league social sports teams in volleyball, netball & soccer.
