When I launched Sportspeople Recruitment in 1996, there were moments when returning to a salaried sport management role, where I’d spent the previous 18 years, seemed like the easier path. With a young family, a mortgage, school fees, and all the pressures of that stage of life, there were some tough decisions and even tougher conversations during those foundation years.
But rather than forgetting those challenges, I remind myself nearly every day of how things were and how fortunate I am today.
Nearly 30 years later, Sportspeople Recruitment is still going strong. Some might say, based on the sheer volume of work we have in 2025, stronger than ever. That’s no accident. It’s the result of staying true to our mission: connecting the best employers with the best candidates.
Over the years, I’ve written many posts about Sportspeople Recruitment being a globally connected, locally owned business. We always have been. I’ve also consistently emphasised the importance of local businesses supporting locally owned businesses, not just in recruitment, but across all services and suppliers.
Last week’s announcement by the Australian Government reinforced this principle by formally defining what it means to be an ‘Australian business’ – one that is majority locally owned, tax resident, and operating in Australia. New procurement rules now require government agencies to assess the broader economic benefits of their contracts, making the case for supporting Australian-owned businesses even stronger.
We have written to the Australian Sports Commission Chair, Kate Jenkins AO requesting this definition be adopted in the Commission’s procurement policies. More importantly, we’ve asked that it become a mandatory requirement for all organisations receiving government funding via the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute Of Sport to use only Australian-owned businesses for procurement. It seems reasonable if public money is supporting Australian sport, then Australian-owned businesses should be delivering the work.
It’s a simple yet powerful principle: Choose local. Choose Australian-owned. Ask about the ultimate ownership of your suppliers. It matters. For recruitment, if you choose not to use Sportspeople Recruitment, at least choose another Australian business.
Sportspeople Recruitment is 100% locally owned by the McMurtrie and Oakhill families. We started and remain a fully Australian-owned business, never backed by foreign investors and never underwritten by Californian or New Jersey millionaires.
That’s something we’re proud of. And we know many of you value it too.
