With 10 years in the football industry behind her, Clare Pettyfor works to bring together the football department and the broader business to ensure cohesion and connection across the club.

As part of Collingwood’s 2023 International Women's Day Staff Spotlight Series, we sat down with Clare where she shared her perspectives and experiences working in sport. 

Tell me a little bit about your journey to the Collingwood Football Club; how did you get your start in the industry, and what led you to this role in particular?

I’ve been in the football industry for 10 years now, having taken the step from agency into club land back in 2013. I started my career as the media coordinator at the Brisbane Lions, where I worked for two years, before returning home to Melbourne and taking up a role with the Hawks. I worked at the Hawks from 2015-2020, in various comms roles, lastly as the General Manager – Communications, Marketing and Content. I then worked for the Dees as GM – Media and Communications for 2021 and 2022 before moving to the Pies in November last year. I’ve always believed the skills I had as a comms professional and General Manager could be transferred into a role within the football department and the move to Collingwood provided an opportunity for me to put this into practice. 

Does your role have different objectives depending on the time of year? How does it change between traditional 9-5 to gameday?

Working in footy is never a traditional 9-5 job. Our schedule is dictated to by the season fixture and the players training schedule. My role as Head of Football Operations is to oversee and lead all the operations arms of the football department; analytics, engagement, operations and recruiting. On a match-day my role is bench communications, which entails helping to facilitate communication between the coaches and the players on a match day. Another key component of my role is bringing together the football department and the broader business to ensure cohesion and connection across the club.

What does it mean to you to work in a largely male-dominated industry? What are the biggest challenges and/or most rewarding aspects of your job?

The industry has come a long way since I first started out and it’s certainly more common to see women stepping into leadership roles within AFL clubs these days. However, we still have a long way to go. I’ve always taken the mindset that my point of difference is one of the greatest strengths I bring to the table. I’ve been lucky enough to have had some fantastic mentors within the industry, both male and female, who have encouraged me to embrace my diversity and the point of difference I can bring to problem solving and strategy. Being one of the few women to hold a leadership role within an AFL club, is not really something I’ve given much thought to, but I hope that it can make the path easier for more women to progress their careers in this space.

What does International Women's Day mean to you, and can you speak to how important it is for sporting organisations to recognise such days?

I think it’s a great opportunity to celebrate women, but most importantly to educate and continue to raise awareness about the barriers that prevent women from accessing equal and equitable opportunities within the workplace and more broadly in society.

In saying that, I look forward to the day when International Women’s Day is no longer necessary. When women and men are treated equally and equitably, and the additional hurdles women currently face in work and life are no longer barriers.

What advice would you give to your younger self, or to any other women looking to break into this industry?

Continue to embrace your diversity. We need more people with diverse leadership styles, approaches to problem solving and ways of thinking within our industry. Don’t try and assimilate or change yourself to fit in. Be yourself and in doing so you’ll help drive our industry forward.