Eight University of Tasmania business students have spent the semester interning with the Tasmania Devils, with some now aiming for careers in sport.
The Bachelor of Business students worked with the incoming AFL club one day a week during semester two. Their projects included match-day operations, mascot engagement, social impact and choosing a team song.
All eight completed diplomas at the Tasmania Academy of Leadership and Sport (TALS), which allowed them to finish a Bachelor of Business at UTAS in a further 18 months.
Student Blake Sutton has already secured part-time work with Cricket Tasmania through the TALS program. He worked with his Devils mentor on running a match day.
“We all get to see the end result and get to live that experience of being in the grandstand,” he said.
“But what goes into it is several weeks of back-and-forth with stakeholders, budgeting and making sure everyone’s in the right place at the right time.”
The former Claremont College student said the program gave him the change he needed after 10 years in the food industry. He said he was now aiming for a career in sport and possibly a Master of Business Administration.
“I took the leap and signed up to the university, had some friends through TALS that I was able to rely on and get support from and give support to,” Sutton said.
“I’ve nearly finished my second semester and I’m thriving with grades and feeling really good about it.”
Fellow student Grace Wells spent her 11 weeks researching AFL and international mascots and what makes them successful.
“There’s actually a few mascots whose social media accounts have a bigger following than the team’s,” she said.
“So people are actually learning about the mascots before they’re learning about the teams.”
In other placements, Jordan Christopher looked at women in sport, First Nations representation and raising awareness of mental health issues.
TALS is led by Tasmania Football Club in partnership with Tasmania JackJumpers, Hobart Hurricanes, Netball Tasmania and TasTAFE. Its partnership with UTAS gives aspiring sports administrators an accelerated 2.5-year pathway to a university degree.
The academy opened in 2025. When the UTAS partnership was announced, it had more than 85 students across its Hobart and Launceston campuses.
The partnership includes real industry placements integrated with university studies, creating what organisers call Australia’s first complete education-to-employment pathway in sports administration.
