Exclusive: SportsGrad Podcast Founder Reuben Williams On 100th Episode

Last week, the SportsGrad Podcast celebrated its 100th episode and SportsGrad founder, Reuben Williams, joined Ministry of Sport to discuss what the milestone means and the journey of the organisation.

“To get to 100 episodes, it wasn’t just the case of recording 100 episodes,” Williams told Ministry of Sport.

“In 2017, I started it as a YouTube channel and for three years plugged away.

“It eventually got to the point where I was ready to throw it away, it wasn’t serving me.

“It was taking up a bit of time and I was ready to focus on something else.

“But I got a period last year to focus on it when I was stood down from Cricket Australia.

“I thought it would be a good chance to have another crack and see what it could be.

“To then launch it and have it validated and to get the reception that it’s gotten and to then still being doing it 100 episodes later means a lot.

“It’s proved to me that so many different things are possible if you push through that initial tough period and if you really believe in an idea that you’ve got,” he said.

The SportsGrad Podcast started in June 2020 and has since featured interviews from various representatives across the world from organisations such as the NFL, Cricket Australia, Hawthorn Football Club, and Carlton Football Club.

The goal for the organisation, according to Williams, has not been for personal gain.

“Our goal has always been to help people get jobs,” Williams told Ministry of Sport.

“The podcast serves that purpose through making people aware of the career paths that other people have gone through and teaching some of the ways that people can implement that.

“The other main product that we’ve been building is a community membership which has now got over 100 people from 10 different countries around the world.

“Inside there, we’re a lot more hands on with guiding people through the process of getting a job in sport.

“We’re also opening them up to the opportunities that come through our networks.

“80% of jobs exist within a hidden job market.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to be around long enough that those opportunities present themselves to us.

“Now what we’re doing is redirecting those opportunities to our members and organisations are starting to recognise the pool of candidates that we are pumping up.

“For organisations hiring people, the process is time consuming that no one enjoys going through.

“What we’re building is essentially a solution that helps these organisations find quality people faster.

“The future of SportsGrad is about finding more ways to help people get jobs in sport and that involves connecting organisations directly to our members,” he said.

Williams discussed the feelings associated with seeing a member successfully attain a job in the sport industry.

“There’s an initial excitement, I’ll be in my office and my phone will light up and I’ll see someone get a job at Cricket Australia,” Williams said.

“I was over the moon for them because this is something they have pretty much dedicated their whole life towards.

“To do it in an industry they love and to be able to play a small part in that and to get them to a point where they’re in a position that’s going to change their lives is incredibly rewarding.

“I know how much fulfilment they’re going to get because I’ve been there myself.

“And so having lived it and enjoyed it and loved it, to be able to provide that experience to other people is incredibly rewarding,” he said.