As we finished a very busy quarter to begin 2026, and with the slight pause that Easter provides, it gave all of us at Sportspeople Recruitment some time for reflection.
It was particularly timely, as March marked the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of both Sportspeople Recruitment and its sister company,Sportspeople Job Market. Begun in March 1996, when our founder Robert McMurtrie, a former national sports CEO, was asked by a colleague to assist with filling a role that they were finding challenging to recruit for. And so it was that the journey across three decades, supporting every level and every corner of the sports industry, began. Having been a part of this journey for one of those decades, and finding myself in the fortunate position of leading it into the next, one thing that stands out to me is the number of people that we deal with now that have their own story of starting their sports administration pathway many years earlier via Sportspeople. It is these long standing, people first relationships that has provided for the longevity and success of our brand.
When I reflected on what has made us able to maintain these relationships and support an industry that has changed immensely during the four decades within which we have operated, a few things came to mind. Ultimately, they all begun from our name and brand. The name “Sportspeople” is an intended pun. From Robert on his own in 1996, through to the current day, all who have worked for the organisation have shared the common bond of a background in sports across a number of levels, and a driving passion for sport that only those in this great industry can understand. This has translated into a true specialisation through lived experience, that understands and delivers on the truism that sport has its own way of doing things, including recruitment. We like to think that over time we have refined this into a way of operating that provides benefit and support across an industry that sits at the core of both Australia and New Zealand’s lifestyles.
The “people” part of our brand also represents that sport is first and foremost a people business, from the millions who participate year round in hundreds of sports, to the lucky few who get to find a career in sport. It provides so much benefit in the two countries that we operate, from the economic to the well recognised health and wellbeing aspects of participation of all types in sports.
Which brings me to the people who work in sports across Australia and New Zealand. They are undoubtedly not as well paid and work longer and less social hours than so many other sectors, but what is almost universal amongst those we speak to while doing what we do, is that they wouldn’t swap it for anything. Whether it is thrill of being a part of events from the World Cups/Championships that we hold better than the rest of the world, through to state and regional championships that often have a lifelong impact on all those who participate, or the knowledge that you are a part of a sporting ecosystem that is the envy of the world over, sport provides this and more to those lucky to be involved, either as a volunteer or administrator.
Thus, our sports organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand, from community level through to regional, state, and national level, are amalgams of these types of dedicated and passionate people. They get up each day to face the challenges that are universal: the uncertainty around funding and revenue; the ongoing quest for growth in participation; access to facilities; criticism from many quarters (both external and internal); all with the ultimate aim of putting their participants, from our youngest to our elite, into action each week. All of you, from the volunteer at a local sporting club to those at the upper echelons of sport, deserve every bit of credit and gratitude that you receive.
So, as we head into our fourth decade of serving the sports industry at large in Australia and New Zealand, we thank all of those organisations and individuals that we have worked with, and continue to work with. We look forward to those many treasured relationships continuing long into the future.
Finally, the longevity and success of Sportspeople Recruitment is a simple reflection of all those who have worked for us since 1996. Your commitment to the industry which we serve has been the driving force behind that longevity and success. There are too many to mention, but you know who you are. My sincerest thanks to you all. Special mention goes to our current team of Angelique Everett (General Manager), Karen Good (Principal Consultant – NZ), and of course our founder Robert McMurtrie (Director – Talent & Search), whose vision in 1996 and hard work over the years since then, has been our beating heart.
Onward and upward!
Scott Oakhill (Managing Director)
