Get to know Operations Manager, Courtney Banks

21/06/2022

Courtney Banks talks about her role as Operations Manager

At the heart of the Sandringham Football Club you will find Courtney Banks, our Operations Manager. A person who is no stranger to a bit of hard work and dedication, she looks after all off-field aspects of the football club, including: membership, sponsorship, club events, merchandise, match day and general admin as well as marketing. 

Courtney had an interest in psychology, human behaviour and events which led her to complete a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing at Monash University. She always had an interest in sport and working in sport. She noted that it’s “different to a lot of other industries, in the way that there is a real sense of connection and selflessness where everyone just wants to do what is best for the team and their Club”. 

She grew up around her local junior footy club, Narre South Lions, where her brother played footy and her father was the Treasurer, so naturally she started volunteering there from the age of 13: as team manager for her brother’s team, in the canteen, assisting with player sponsorship and website management, and eventually Auskick Coordinator. She even pulled the boots on for a few seasons before a broken collarbone brought that to a halt.

From year 12 she began volunteering at a charity called Windermere within their marketing team, with a focus on events. In her final year of university she undertook an internship in the events team at the Institute of Public Accountants as part of her course.

Shortly after, an Events Coordinator Internship at Sandy FC came up which she was fortunate enough to successfully apply for. Graduating from university and juggling a couple of internships made for a busy couple of months for Courtney, but she believes that it was “worth it”. After this internship she continued to volunteer at Sandy and eventually undertook the role of Events and Membership Coordinator. She found herself back working at Windermere when Covid lockdowns struck and the footy season was compromised, before she was asked to return to the Club by Sandringham FC CEO Marcus in a permanent position in mid-2021.

The typical in-season week for Courtney is quite busy as you would expect.

Mondays generally involve wrapping up from the weekend and tying up any loose ends, and meeting with her group of interns who help out in various roles around the Club.

Tuesday is usually the one day of the week where everyone is in the office so this is the day where everyone will catch up and fill each other in on what’s been happening and what the plan is for the week and month ahead.

Wednesday to Friday is then focused on the upcoming game: if it’s a home game then this means organising security, staff, stock and all the other gameday logistics, including game day promotion, and if it’s an away game then it’s more so making sure the media side of things is covered.

She notes that a lot of the role is not set in stone and “involves so much other stuff that just comes up throughout the week that needs to be dealt with” to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Her favourite part of the job is the people. "I'm really lucky to work with such a great group of people, not just in the office but across the football department, sponsors and members as well. There is really great culture at the moment," Courtney explains.

One of her biggest highlights is when the Club hosted 3 AFLW games. "It was “something I hadn’t done before and so was a big learning experience,” she says. But a moment that stands above most in recent times is the Southern Saints making the VFLW Grand Final. “They worked extremely hard to get there and to see their excitement when we beat Casey the week before and in the week leading up to it was special.”

The role of Operations Manager is quite full on during the football season, which means that Courtney has to spend a lot of time at the Club, but she loves it. When she does get away from the Club she likes to spend time with family and friends and watch and attend the footy, especially when Richmond are playing. Courtney follows the Tigers, mainly because her mum is a Richmond supporter. "Mum was born in Uruguay and chose the Tigers because their colours most closely resembled those of Peñarol from the Uruguayan Premier Division," Courtney explains.

She has also got into hiking in recent years after trekking Kokoda in 2018 as part of Windermere’s Adventure Challenge to raise funds for their family violence programs. She has also signed up to tackle Western Australia’s Cape to Cape later this year.

Courtney notes ‘The Blind Side’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ as her favourite movie and TV show, respectively. Like everyone else she is also impartial to some TV streaming where she has just finished watching the first season of ‘From’ on Stan.

Written by Mason Bursill - Sandringham Football Club Media