As the Sydney Swans continue to sit atop the 2024 AFL Premiership ladder and look to secure a place in the finals series, a TAFE NSW sports turf management graduate is playing a key role in ensuring the team’s home ground is in tip-top shape.

As one of the groundspeople at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Michael Madelly is using his practical skills learnt at TAFE NSW to ensure the historic venue is primed to perfection for Swans matches.

Mr Madelly’s journey into a top job in the sports turf management industry came after a personal setback.

In 2013, while enjoying a successful career in the corporate sector, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that presents as chronic arthritis. This bolt from the blue meant he had to find a new job that focused on movement, rather than being sedentary.

“I’d always loved sport, so when I eventually found sports turf management, I was eager to jump into it and take my career in a new direction,” Mr Madelly said.

“At age 31, I started afresh as an apprentice at the Australian Golf Club and began studying a Certificate III in Sports Turf Management.

“Studying at TAFE NSW made me familiar with the processes and techniques I had to use on the job. The course built my practical skills and confidence to empower me to succeed in the role, which helped me enormously when I was at work because I had the knowledge to jump into any task and use any equipment that I was directed to.”

While Mr Madelly once spent his workdays behind a computer, he’s now doing everything from helping prepare cricket pitches for international Test matches, to marking lines and preparing a perfect turf surface for elite AFL football.

“I pinch myself every day that I now work at the SCG and Allianz Stadium,” Mr Madelly said.

“It’s surreal that I get to help bring to life major events at some of Sydney’s oldest and newest venues. It’s a very rewarding job, and I feel a sense of accomplishment to say I’ve been a part of international events.”

Grounds Supervisor at Venues NSW, which manages the SCG, Ayden Klopf, said TAFE NSW graduates and apprentices working at the venues came highly regarded.

"The SCG and Allianz Stadium has enjoyed a long history of recruiting TAFE NSW graduates,” he said.

“Graduates from TAFE NSW consistently arrive with strong practical skills that make them ready to contribute effectively to the success of our grounds. Michael is a popular member of our team. He is an exceptional team player with a great work ethic."

Head Teacher of Sports Turf Management at TAFE NSW, Ian Clarke, said the organisation is known for delivering skilled groundspeople to the industry.

“TAFE NSW has a proud history of supplying a pipeline of workers into the sports turf management industry and facilities like the SCG,” Mr Clarke said.

“Several of our students are hired each year by Venues NSW and work at either the SCG, Allianz Stadium, Accor Stadium, or CommBank Stadium. We currently have three apprentices either about to start or already working for Venues NSW, and we have had several others who are still on the SCG crew who studied with us in the past five years.

“Our Certificate III in Sports Turf Management prepares students with the practical and theoretical skills they need to get the job they want and flourish at top-level employers.

“Michael’s journey into the industry through TAFE NSW highlights how, whether you are a young apprentice or someone changing careers, sports turf management is an enriching career that has the potential to bring joy to large sections of the community.”

While the lure and charm of the SCG has Mr Madelly enthralled, as a fan of American football, he said one day he’d like to ply his trade internationally.

“To be part of an industry where your work is on show to thousands of people brings a degree of pressure; but one of the biggest things my TAFE NSW course taught me was how to work as a team – you can’t do these sorts of jobs on your own, so having a strong team is key,” he said.

“My dream is to one day work at a big stadium in the United States and take the skills and experience I’ve gained along my journey to a new level and continue to grow my career as a groundsperson.”

Media contact: Rob Virtue, Communications Specialist, rob.virtue@tafensw.edu.au