You graduated from a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration, what made you want to go into this field?
It was my friend from high school that introduced me to SPAD. Before that I had no idea where Laurentian was; I had never been to Sudbury; I’m from a small town in Ottawa. I am glad for that connection because after looking into it, it made the most sense. I liked sports and the infield opportunities the program offered; I thought it was really cool and nothing else like it.
How did you take advantage of your time in SPAD?
I took full advantage of my time at Laurentian by taking on various internships. During school I really looked to bolster my resume and to build as many connections as possible. My first internship was in my second year working with the Sudbury Wolves. I did some work with them on the game ops side but predominantly on the stat tracking side. After the Sudbury Wolves, I did my official placement. I actually did two: one with the Ottawa Senators; and the other placement was with Wheelchair Basketball Canada and the Canada Games council. I also found a placement with the East Regional Soccer League: the governing body for grassroots in Ottawa. I made sure to dip my toes into every different kind of role that I could; trying to see what I liked and what I didn’t like.
Which internship stood out the most for you, and why?
My internship with the Ottawa Senators. At the time, I was a diehard Ottawa Senators fan. So I was very excited to get that opportunity to work with the organization, especially to be in a position that got me so close to the team and in the locker room with some faces that I grew up watching. What ended up happening for the next four months was by far the least enjoyable work experience that I have had. I got to understand that sometimes what you think your dream job might be isn’t what you thought. And that the people you work with are the most important thing along with enjoying what you’re doing day by day. In the end, though that experience wasn’t as enjoyable, I wouldn’t trade it for the world; having that experience as an internship gave me a ton of perspective on matters of self worth in the workplace before I even started my career.
You currently work for the Canadian Premier League, how did you get into the soccer industry?
My earlier work was more around hockey. It wasn’t until later on in my life that I got introduced to professional soccer. I was never a great player; I was always that guy that went over to watch, but I had a love that was growing for the sport. During my placement with the ERSL, I realized I was really starting to enjoy working in soccer, and I was really starting to fall in love with the sport. After I graduated, I got an interview with the Ontario Soccer Association; it was a good 4 or 5 hours away from home but an exciting opportunity nonetheless. I had a friend of mine who was also a graduate of SPAD who helped me get my foot in the door; again connections and hard work proving to be useful.
In your career so far, what has been the most eye opening experience for you?
The COVID19 pandemic. It made me realize that we work in this industry because we love it. In my first class of university, my prof listed off a bunch of reasons why this industry is challenging to best prepare us. It was an eye opener for me. Eight years later, it came full circle when I lost my job with the OSA; it became clear that employees in the sports industry aren’t driven by money, but because of their passion. Due to the pandemic, I accepted a job outside of sports for the very first time in my entire life. I was there for approximately a year and a half, but as time went on, I got an itch. I came to the realization that working outside of sports is not for me. Once you identify with something, find a passion, something you love to do, you wind up back there. My boss at Ontario Soccer is now the managing director of League One Ontario and I work with him at the Canadian Premier League. I worked with him for two years at the OSA and that’s all it takes sometimes to build that connection.
If you meet the right people and work hard enough, people will notice and you will find your way.
What are some of your career goals; where do you see yourself in a couple of years?
As of right now, I’m so dedicated to what we are doing at the CPL. It took so long for this country to get a professional soccer league, and I want to be on board with this organization for as long as I can to build the beautiful game in Canada. My goal is for soccer to be the number one sport in the country. We see the growth, we see the potential. I would like to continue to see myself grow and be a part of the leadership team here.
If you could give your younger self any piece of advice, what would it be?
Stop caring what other people think. I spent a lot of time at school, rather than focusing on improving myself and learning, caring too much on what other people were doing; what they were thinking; what they thought about me; if I was doing a good enough job; if they thought I was doing a good enough job. That carries over into your professional career, but as time went on I’ve learnt to not care. What you need to do is keep working on yourself. At the end of the day, if people are concerned about you it’s only because they’re lacking in themselves.
SPAD Players Tribune 