QUT Students Bring GYG Match of the Day Broadcasts To Life at 2025 UniSport Nationals

At the 2025 UniSport Nationals (Nationals), the Guzman y Gomez (GYG) Match of the Day broadcasts were brought to life by QUT Sport (Queensland University of Technology) media and broadcasting students, who gained real-world experience in a fast-paced, high-pressure live sporting environment.

The GYG Match of the Day was a new feature introduced at the 2025 Nationals, where games were broadcast live and free on UniSportTV. Across five days and five sports, QUT students delivered live broadcasts of the netball, rugby 7s, water polo, basketball and football.

Under the leadership of Nicky Barrie (Sport Operations Coordinator) and Keira Rawlins (Esport & Technology Officer) at QUT Sport, GYG Match of the Day gave athletes the chance to shine on a national platform, as well as providing a highly valuable work-integrated learning opportunity for the QUT students.

Eager to gain practical experience, over 30 students volunteered to join the broadcasting team, helping deliver the excitement of Nationals to viewers across the country.

On bringing students to Nationals, Nicky said the aim was to help them see sport in a broader context than just playing. “We’re helping our students recognise the business opportunities that exist beyond the game itself, especially as we look ahead to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and explore how we can use what we do at QUT to wrap around sport as a product” she explained.

This broader approach to sport extended into the students’ learning, offering real-world experience through the Nationals broadcasts. “They were under pressure, things weren’t working and they had to troubleshoot, which gave them great experience and workforce practice of what it is like in a live sporting environment” Nicky continued.

QUT Sport Esport & Technology Officer, Keira Rawlins, added that with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on the horizon and growing momentum across community-level competitions and grassroot sports, the team wanted to create pathways for students to experience sport beyond the studio. “We saw an opportunity with UniSport to get students onto the sidelines and to broaden their capabilities, be part of the action, and understand what it takes to bring a game to life” she said.

In preparation for the experience, QUT Sport brought together a mix of casual staff who work in their on-campus broadcast studio and volunteers recruited through QUT Creative Industries, ensuring mentors were available for most roles. Inductions were conducted to prepare everyone for their specific roles, with a clear focus on understanding how each part comes together to produce the final product. Students were then able to step into the live broadcasts and start applying their skills in a real-world setting.

For QUT student casual Emily Cosson (Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments), the Nationals broadcast experience provided a practical learning opportunity that pushed her outside of her comfort zone. Coming from an Esports background, she found the shift to live sport both challenging and rewarding. “Normally we do big events in Esports on a game browser, so it’s easier to cover” she said. “With live sport, it’s much more hands-on switching between cameras, managing graphics, and adapting to new venues.” The fast-paced environment allowed her to gain new skills while strengthening her adaptability, problem-solving, and communication as she worked with the broadcast team to deliver quality productions. The experience also broadened her view of sport, showing its power to connect people and the large scope of opportunities the industry provides.

Stepping into live sports broadcasting at Nationals also gave student Lachlan Burnage (Bachelor of Information Technology, Computer Science) a chance to put learnings into practice. Specialising in multi-camera operations, he was able to apply skills learned in the classroom while learning new techniques specific to live sport. “This experience is a bit different to what I do in class, as I haven’t done too much camera work” he said. “It’s been a really good opportunity to work with multiple cameras and learn how to capture the right shots in real time.” He found that working live presented challenges, from finding fresh angles to deciding what moments to focus on, such as when covering wide shots during the basketball. The Nationals experience strengthened his technical skills and decision-making, giving him practical skills and confidence that extend well beyond the studio and into professional broadcasting environments.

Some of the reflections from the Film and TV students working on the GYG Match of the Day highlighted how Nationals provided practical experience relevant to their studies and future careers. Students working across the Rugby 7s and Water Polo noted the value of operating cameras in a live sports setting and developing multi-cam and vision-mixing skills, emphasising that large-scale events like Nationals help build employable skills in a growing industry, particularly with Brisbane preparing for the 2032 Olympics. Participating in these broadcasts offered hands-on, real-world experience that extends beyond the classroom and gives insight into live sports production.

On the final day of Nationals, Nicky Barrie and Keira Rawlins reflected on the week’s learnings, highlighting how the experience allowed students to build confidence in unfamiliar roles, particularly for those new to live sports production, while developing practical skills. “It’s been really valuable for us to figure out troubleshooting, and a big learning experience for students” Keira said, noting the importance of problem-solving when working off campus with limited resources as each broadcasting venue presented its own challenges, from power setups to Wi-Fi connectivity. The team also noticed a clear improvement in student confidence and efficiency, with setup times decreasing from two hours on Monday to just 20-30 minutes by Friday.

Reflecting on her time with the broadcast team, Emily said she would highly recommend volunteering at Nationals, as it offers a way to engage with sport and gain practical skills without physically playing. She added, “Being able to connect people through broadcasting is why I love doing this. With student-athletes coming to the Gold Coast from all around Australia, broadcasting gives everyone equal opportunity to watch.”

The impact of the broadcasts was also felt by spectators at the netball and rugby 7s GYG Match of the Day, who noted that the coverage allowed more interstate viewers to follow the games, boosted sport promotion, and gave teams the opportunity to watch their matches back and learn from them.

QUT’s initiative in the work-integrated learning space exemplifies UniSport’s commitment to providing students with practical, real-world experience through sport, aligning with our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan to create opportunities that connect the classroom to the competition field through our leagues and events.

By turning Nationals into a hands-on learning opportunity, QUT has demonstrated the power of work-integrated learning in a real-world environment. Through experiences like this, students not only refine their technical and creative skills but also build confidence, adaptability, and industry awareness, preparing them to thrive in the rapidly evolving world of sport and media.