FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - LINA STAROPOLI
Lina Staropoli
Current Position: Commercial Partnerships Manager – Netball Australia
Year of Graduation: 2006 (6th Edition)
Nationality: Australian / American
What does your current role involve?
My current role involves rebuilding the go to market strategy to generate commercial partnerships for Netball Australia’s main products which are the Origin Australian Diamonds National Team, Suncorp Super Netball League, and our First Nations and Community programmes.
Working closely with the Marketing Team, we have dedicated the last few months to gaining some greater clarity on who our participants and fans are, and creating new content products and campaigns that better speak to their connection to the game. This work has in turn given us a refreshed brand narrative and asset offerings to take to market. It is an exciting time to be involved with one of the leading women’s sports in the country!
How has the FIFA Master helped you in your career?
It has been nearly twenty years since I graduated, yet I still consider it such a valuable behind the scenes glimpse into the business of sport, at an important juncture in my career, that has left a lasting impact. Without doubt, the FIFA Master has given me a broader world view and a sense of global scale that I have incorporated into all of my roles over the years.
For me, the opportunity to visit and have conversations with key decision makers in major, iconic sport businesses was so impactful. It reinforced for me the “tug of war” or “arm wrestle” that can come with trying to build sustainable businesses with such uniquely emotive and community connected products that sports are. It is so unique to the sport industry, and I think seeing this as a consistent theme coming out of the course, it shaped my approach to pitching new business, relationship management, and in ensuring fans remain at the core of what we do on the business side.
Without doubt the biggest support has been the ability to reference global best practice by calling on any number of our amazing industry experts that make up the FIFA Master Alumni (FMA) community, for advice, as trusted suppliers, or just as friends. Participating in the course also opened doors for me to work in the US with Major League Soccer, and back in Australia with Cricket Australia and Seven West Media. After graduating from the course and having navigated living abroad for 12 months, I not only had a greater line of sight of these international opportunities, but also significantly greater confidence to pursue and succeed in them.
What advice would you give to future students?
It is great to have career goals and ambitions before coming to the FIFA Master, perhaps even a set path and clear strategy to success. Equally, if not more important, is to not let this impact your curiosity, your willingness to explore outside the borders of what you “need to achieve”, and to limit you being a contribution to the growth of those around you. Ask a broad range of questions, absorb the uniqueness of the experiences, of the differing opinions, perspectives and the contributions of all the cultures you will engage with.
It is such a rare opportunity to have ten or so months to purely learn, not just academically, but also about who you can be in your immediate community. It is a rare opportunity to live in a bubble of pure sport, and, most importantly, make lifelong connections with such a diverse collection of remarkable people. Your personal growth over this year will be just as valuable as the career growth. Also, the positive impact you can have on those around you will be immeasurable.
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 12 times by SportBusiness.
FIFA Master - 25 years of Excellence in Sport Business Education - organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
