Landing his dream job straight out of uni was a huge thrill for sport-obsessed Jack Soward, but a much bigger career highlight was still to come just a few years later.
Soward had only just finished his Graduate Certificate in Business Studies when he successfully applied to be basketball operations coordinator for the newly announced Tasmanian NBL team the JackJumpers in 2021.
He never dreamed that just three years later, the JackJumpers would win their maiden NBL championship, with him as the team’s Head of Basketball Operations.
Soward grew up in Longford and always loved sport but, while he enjoyed watching it, he couldn’t see himself becoming a professional sportsperson himself.
After briefly considering a career as a sports journalist or teacher, he found a way to enter the world of professional sport, after all: sports management.
“It was at that time that the Associate Degree in Applied Business was first offered, with a specialisation in Sport, Recreation and Leisure,” he said.
“It was an applied business focus, it could lead me into a career in sports management, we ran events, we networked and made connections, it was the perfect blend for me.”
Before he had even finished his degree, he landed his first gig as an intern with the Melbourne United Basketball club and finished the rest of his degree online.
He was still living in Melbourne in 2020 when the COVID pandemic sent the city into lockdown. To make the most of his time, he took advantage of the University of Tasmania’s offer to study a Graduate Certificate in Business Studies for free.
In October that year, the NBL announced the license for the JackJumpers and Soward applied for a job.
In March 2021, he started his dream job as a team operations coordinator, back home in Tasmania, with the state’s first big league team.
Not only did his previous experience with Melbourne United help in his job application, but it also resulted in a perfect full-circle moment when the JackJumpers won their first championship in 2024, with Soward now Head of Basketball Operations.
“We defeated Melbourne United to win that championship,” he said.
“And the day before that final match, I got a Facebook memory saying it was five years to the day since Melbourne United won their first championship.
“And I’d been there for that, too, back when I was just a kid on an internship thrilled to have the chance to be involved.”
Soward said there was a growing emphasis on the importance of higher education among the athletes as well, often to ensure they are prepared for a career after basketball.
JackJumpers captain Clint Steindl is studying his Master of Teaching at the University of Tasmania, for exactly that reason.
“Something the AFL does really well is to encourage players to study or have a trade, so they have something to fall back on,” Soward said.
“We’re looking into ways to encourage that here as part of our player development plans. We want you to leave here as a better person.”
Written by Tim Martain for Alumni Magazine Issue 55, 2024.
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Top of page: Jack Soward (holding trophy) with the JackJumpers’ front office team after the Grand Final win | Photo: Solstice Digital Photography