22 August 2012 | Tennis Victoria

This week I was given the fantastic opportunity to explore how business is conducted outside of the office by James Madder, the Community Tennis Officer for Metropolitan South.

I was approached and asked if I could attend various meetings taking place, which involved coaches and/or facilitators from a range of private clubs and large commercial tennis centres. As this was another side of the business I hadn’t experienced yet, I was very eager to get out and meet some of these people at the ‘grassroots’ level instead of communicating on the phone and via e-mail.

It was excellent to hear the perspective of other people within the tennis community. To hear how the work that Tennis Victoria does assists them in completing their duties as a coach or administrator really makes you feel good. I think this motivates you to work even harder to make things easier for these people or solve problems that seemed to have no simple solution.

All the people I met during the day were well spoken, friendly individuals who, like me, are working hard to ensure that everyone, no matter how disadvantaged they may be, can enjoy tennis and achieve their goals or ambitions. This is similar to the way I am setting goals and ambitions to achieve certain things at Tennis Victoria. With each goal I achieve, I feel like I can push myself further and achieve something even greater than the previous goal or objective.

If there is one thing I have certainly learned, it is that you can never stop learning in this business. If you allow yourself to be proactive in seeking out bigger and better opportunities, you will always gain vital information that can assist you with gaining employment or access to university.

Thanks for reading.

Ashley Seeley is a participant in the SEDA and Tennis Victoria Sports Development Program. The SEDA program works with Tennis Victoria to offer students the opportunity to combine their passion for tennis with an education pathway through the Sport and Recreation industry.