A country kid at heart, Precinct Manager for the newly built Narrandjeri Stadium (and soon to take over the Darebin Community Sports Centre), Troy Walker has garnered a CV more closely reminiscent of someone twice his age.<\/p>\n
From Wangaratta in country Victoria to the bright lights of London and back to Melbourne \u2013 Troy\u2019s illustrious career has seen him working for large scale operations across the world. A strong relationship with key Clublinks contacts in Tom Zappulla and Anthony Edgar, coupled with a keenness to join an organisation that his peers couldn\u2019t stop cheerleading, meant that when the Precinct Manager for Darebin position came up, Troy jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n
A love of sport and passion to eventually work in the sport and rec industry, Troy remembers even from an early age that being a part of a team and playing a sport wasn\u2019t just about the game itself.<\/p>\n
With initial ambition to become a PE teacher, it was wise words from Troy\u2019s parents that steered him in a slightly different direction after suggesting he test his passion by working a school holiday program at the local sport and rec centre first.<\/p>\n
\u201cMum and Dad highlighted that I hadn\u2019t spent a lot of time around kids before, so why not work a school holiday program first before committing to uni. I lasted two days!\u201d<\/p>\n
With a renewed focus on what he wasn\u2019t<\/em> interested in doing, but with the passion for sport and rec still very strong \u2013 management of facilities was where Troy concentrated his efforts next.<\/p>\n Having quickly worked his way up to Venue Manager of the local sporting facility, Troy realised that perhaps his ambitious spirit meant he had outgrown his hometown \u2013 so decided to push himself outside of his comfort and familiarity and uprooted to a life in London.<\/p>\n Troy quickly found the interview process for a role in a large-scale fitness organisation, quite refreshing and takes key learnings from his first interview, into his recruitment responsibilities today.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sitting in a caf\u00e9 waiting, all dressed up, and the general manager just comes up and sits down and we just start having a chat. Super informal, just talking about life, where I come from, what I\u2019ve done and I\u2019m sitting there this whole time wondering when the interview will start. When am I going to be taken into a formal room?<\/p>\n We get to the end of the conversation and he says they\u2019ll be in touch and I leave thinking I\u2019ve completely botched that\u2026 yet a few days later, I\u2019m offered a better job than the one I went in to interview for!<\/p>\n I now understand how much of an importance that GM placed on personality and cultural fit, as on paper I could clearly do the job. I utilise this same informal process to get to know candidates, in my recruitment process today. It was a great lesson in recruiting for success.\u201d<\/p>\n With life in Australia beckoning him home, Troy soon ventured back to familiar shores and took up various roles in the Melbourne area with a focus on strategic leadership, bolstered by his recent experience aboard.<\/p>\n When Clublinks successfully attained the management contract for the two Darebin stadiums, Troy was an obvious choice for precinct manager given his wealth of experience and easy fit within the Clublinksinian culture.<\/p>\n \u201cThe job aside or what you do aside, it\u2019s about the people you work with in the organisation you\u2019re with. Me as a 25-year-old heading to the UK, my priorities were completely different \u2013 they were all about how do I get up the ladder, how can I do this or that.<\/p>\n When Troy isn\u2019t managing the newly opened Narrandjeri Stadium (and soon to take over the Darebin Community Sports Centre in July), he is Dad to two boys \u2013 Pat (5yrs) and Oliver (7yrs) and supported by wife Eliza.<\/p>\n When asked what advice he would give to his 25-year-old self when he was about to embark on a life overseas, Troy easily answers \u201cenjoy the moment a little bit!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would just take it in a lot more. I\u2019d probably enjoy myself more. Things are going to be fine \u2013 you\u2019re going to get there and enjoy the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A country kid at heart, Precinct Manager for the newly built Narrandjeri Stadium (and soon to take over the Darebin Community Sports Centre), Troy Walker has garnered a CV more closely reminiscent of someone twice his age. From Wangaratta in country Victoria to the bright lights of London and back to Melbourne \u2013 Troy\u2019s illustrious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\nBut now, it\u2019s about what makes me happy, what is going to make me fulfilled, what is going to make me a good husband and good Dad. I need to be happy to roll in on Monday and happy for me means being around great people.\u201d<\/h3>\n