The incredible way women’s football has evolved in Australia in recent times has been the biggest joy for Nicola Browne in her time with the Newcastle Jets.
Browne is the Finance and HR Manager at the Jets and was rewarded for her sterling work by taking out the best Female Administrator/Support Staff at the recent rebel Female Football Awards.
“It was a good honour because there’s so many people in this industry who work really hard and so many people at this club that have worked for years really hard so just to be recognised amongst all those people was really nice,” Browne told www.w-league.com.au.
“I was just happy to be nominated because there’s so many people that work relentlessly, especially for the W-League.
“Working in sport can be hard yakka sometimes, so just to be recognised among those people is really neat.”
Congratulations to @NewcastleJetsFC's Nicola Browne on receiving the Female Administrator of the Year award at the rebel Female Football Awards!
Full list of winners: https://t.co/2CpqJWtGSf @rebelsport #BalanceforBetter #IWD2019 pic.twitter.com/rb8klzkIO3
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) March 8, 2019
Browne certainly earned her award, fulfilling a number of roles with the Jets apart from her specialising in finance.
While she has worked in finance for a number of years, it’s only the last eight that she has been involved in sport with the Jets.
And she says the giant strides that have been taken in the women’s game over the years has been one of her biggest highlights.
“It’s great to see it evolving, especially the W-League,” Browne says.
“When I first started women were treated almost as an accessory to the A-League game but now it’s more of an equal counterpart and to see that evolve is amazing.
“To see that change is incredible and to see the possibilities…there’s huge potential there.”
Browne is originally from New Zealand but has been in Australia for the last 10 years.
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She says the favourite part of her role is being in such a passionate industry and loves being involved in football every day.
“We’re a pretty small team [at the Jets], we just all pitch in and do whatever we can, whether that’s marketing, game-day stuff, corporate stuff, we do a bit of everything,” she says.
“I love working in sport, people are so passionate and it’s just an exciting industry to work in.
“I’ve been really lucky, I’ve had really good CEO’s to work under, especially Lawrie [McKinna], his passion is infectious and he makes everything fun.
“It’s not only an amazing industry to work in but this club, in particular, makes it the perfect job. I’ve got the best job in the best industry in the world.”
