News

Most students who love cricket have never seriously thought about where the game can take them professionally. Not because the opportunities are not there, but because no one has ever really shown them what those opportunities look like.

The Perth Scorchers Sports Development Program at SEDA College WA is built around changing that.

Cricket is bigger than the playing field

When people think about a career in cricket, they think about playing. But the sport generates a wide range of professional roles that have nothing to do with batting averages or bowling figures.

Coaching and development. Community sport coordination. Event management. Fan experience. Grassroots programs. Umpiring. Sports administration. These are real roles, filled by real people, and the cricket industry in Western Australia runs on them.

The Perth Scorchers Sports Development Program gives students a direct connection to that world while they are still completing Years 11 and 12. The program is delivered in partnership with the Perth Scorchers and WA Cricket, placing students inside both organisations across two years of hands-on, industry-connected learning.

What the program actually prepares you for

Sports-based education works because it integrates classroom learning with practical experience. Students are not reading about how the industry works. They are inside it.

Through their time in the program, students develop practical skills that apply across a wide range of careers: communication and teamwork, leadership, time management, problem-solving in real-world situations, and the ability to coach, officiate, and run programs for participants of all ages.

The curriculum covers areas including coaching, officiating, first aid, athletic performance, and the broader social role of sport. Students also complete The Professional, which develops career-ready skills through LinkedIn portfolio creation, business pitches and relocation simulations. And through SEDA Talks (a core part of the curriculum where students select a cause or charity they are passionate about), they research their chosen initiative and present its impact to an audience.

By the time students finish, they have done things that most school-leavers have not. They have coached clinics, toured the WACA, and stood in front of people to present their ideas. Their work placements also give them practical, real-world skills that are transferable to future study, employment and a wide range of careers. That experience shows up in job applications and interviews in ways that grades alone cannot.

The industry access is real

Perth Scorchers and WA Cricket bring genuine industry knowledge into the program and open up a range of direct opportunities for students, including:

• Work placements at WA Cricket
• Coaching and officiating at community events
• Coaching and umpiring accreditation and development
• Exclusive tours of the WACA Ground
• Delivering primary school clinics on behalf of WA Cricket and Perth Scorchers
• Access to guest speakers and industry leaders from both organisations

These experiences help students understand workplace expectations early and start building the kind of professional networks that support career transitions after school.

Walking out with more than a WACE

Students who complete the program graduate with a WACE qualification and the SIS30122 Certificate III in Sport, Aquatics and Recreation. They also leave with First Aid, CPR, Coaching Accreditation and Officiating Accreditation.

The Certificate III is a nationally recognised VET credential that opens doors into community sport, health and fitness, event management, and sports administration. It is not specific to cricket, which matters. Students who want to move into a different part of the sports industry, or into a completely different field, graduate with qualifications that travel with them.

The pathways available to SEDA graduates reflect just how wide those possibilities can be.

Starting before everyone else

The career question does not have to wait until the end of Year 12. Students who come through this program arrive at that point with two years of real industry experience, professional contacts inside the Perth Scorchers and WA Cricket, and a track record they can actually talk about.

That is what it means to go beyond playing. For students who want to know where cricket can really take them, this is where that journey begins.

The program is also available at SEDA’s Bunbury MultiSport campus for students based in the South West.

To find out more or speak with the admissions team, contact SEDA College WA at info@seda.wa.edu.au or (08) 9486 6230, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm AWST.