Footballers Reach New Goals At AGSM

AUTHOR: Lachlan Colquhoun   DATE: 01.09.05   ISSUE 2, 2005

The diverse AGSM student body also includes several professional footballers – from the AFL and rugby union codes – who say that their MBA studies help balance the intensity of top-level professional sport.

Not that Sydney Swan Leo Barry and rugby union footballers Brendan Cannon, Chris O’Young and Gareth Hardy take their AGSM studies lightly.

They all say, however, that turning to the books and engaging business themes provides a good balance to the pressures of life as a top sportsman, particularly when there is a big game in the offing.

“I’m sure a lot of people use sport to get away from the office, but we study to get away from football.”

“It works really well with the study, because the study can help you take your mind off football and relieve the anxiety,” says Gareth Hardy, who is joining new Perth-based Super 12 team the Western Force after a stint for the NSW Waratahs.

“I’m finding it a lot more effective than anything else I’ve ever done,” says Hardy, who says he is leaning towards a career in sports management.

“I’m good at switching off and switching on, which is one of the things you learn when you start to play professional footy and the study helps you with that.”

Hardy, 24, came to the AGSM after completing an undergraduate degree in Applied Science, and says that because he is not completely certain of his career path after rugby, the AGSM’s “big picture” focus is suiting him well.

"A broad business degree will give me a lot more opportunities when the footy finishes." Leo Barry

Sydney Swans full-back Leo Barry is also eyeing a career in sports administration once he retires from the AFL, and says the “wide scope and diversity” of the MBA (Executive) course is ideal because the knowledge and skills can applied in a variety of roles.

“I’m still a little unsure of what profession I’m going to get involved in, so a broad business degree will give me a lot more opportunities when the footy finishes,” says Barry.

“The course is really challenging, and it certainly opens up your eyes as to how business works, and right now its giving me a better understanding of the sports industry and what is required. Football is obviously my number one priority now, but the study is a great outlet for your mind to get away from the footy and the stress it can place on you.”

“I wanted to equip myself with the best tools I could for the transition from rugby." Brendan Cannon

Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon has combined his professional rugby career with working in the property industry, and hopes to make a career in that sector when he finishes with football, and completes his time at AGSM.

“AGSM is internationally recognised and the number one business school in Australia, so I thought that rather than battling away doing other degrees from other institutions I may as well go straight to the top and deal with the very best,” says Cannon.

“I wanted to equip myself with the best tools I could for the transition from rugby so it wouldn’t seem like a transition, and I could move easily from a professional sporting life into a professional corporate life.”

Cannon echoes the other sport professionals in endorsing the balance the study can bring to his life.

“While our footballing profession is full on and a totally consuming occupation, to do something that is totally different is really stimulating,” he says.

“We do travel the world quite frequently, but I’ve been to many of these places several times so now I prefer to take the books away with me, and use some of the time away from the game to study.”

Chris O’Young says study is an excellent balance to the stress of sport.

Another footballing professional studying at AGSM is Chris O’Young, who is also set to move from the NSW Waratahs to the new Western Force.

Now 24, O’Young did an economics degree at the University of Sydney before combining a rugby career with work at a recruitment agency, and an industrial relations role with the Australian Medical Association.

“The reason why I decided on the MBA was because I’m not 100 p.c. sure of the area I want to go into and I know that the variety of subjects at AGSM will give me a few options after football,” says O’Young, who will continue his studies at AGSM’s Perth base.

And like the others, O’Young says the study is an excellent balance to the stress of sport.

“I find it a good release and a break from all the hype if there is a big game on,” he says.

“I’m sure that a lot of people use sport to get away from the office, but we study to get away from the football.”