Hannah Cartman

Women's National Teams Coordinator, New Zealand Football
Bachelor of Sport and Recreation in Management

Hannah Cartman may have only finished her sport management degree a few years ago, but she has already had the chance to work with two very different national sporting bodies.

“After graduating from AUT with a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation in Management, I worked within the events and participation team at Swimming New Zealand for over two exciting years. My role involved driving disability and inclusion initiatives across New Zealand and delivering our national events, which was incredibly fulfilling.”

Now working at New Zealand Football as the women's national teams coordinator, Hannah loves supporting the women’s national programmes for under 20's and under 17's, as well as the Women’s Futsal team.

“My first year at Football New Zealand, was a huge year of learning, growth and international experience. In September 2024, I travelled to Colombia as team manager for the New Zealand U-20 women’s team at the FIFA World Cup. We had a tough group and opened the tournament against Japan in Bogotá, before heading to Cali for our final pool match. Although we didn’t progress out of the group, it was an incredible experience to be part of such a major global event. A month later, I was in the Dominican Republic as team manager for the U-17 Women’s team at their FIFA World Cup; another opportunity to support young players on their international journey.

“Earlier this year, I travelled with the Futsal Ferns to China – my first time managing a senior national team. We played a three-match series against China, finishing with two losses and one win on penalties. It was a proud milestone and a great learning experience. Most recently, I had the unexpected opportunity to travel with the Ford Football Ferns to Marbella, Spain, where the team played two friendly matches against Venezuela. One of the most rewarding parts of these experiences has been building relationships with team managers and staff from other nations, learning how they operate and sharing ideas. Being around world-class people and seeing firsthand how other countries approach high performance has been incredibly inspiring.”

More than the theory
The practical placements were highlights of her studies, says Hannah who graduated from AUT in 2022.

“My favourite practical elements have been sea kayaking, waka ama and workshops in the stadium playing sports. I also enjoyed being able to work alongside Dr Mel Johnston and Dr Michael Naylor on a research project on engaging women and girls in community sport clubs.”

Gaining workplace experience as part of her degree was another standout for her.

“I was lucky enough to do my first placement with AUT Sport and my second with Swimming New Zealand. I learned so much by doing these and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I was also offered a job at Swimming New Zealand after my placement and ended up working with them for two years.”

An easy decision
Hannah says she loved sports all through high school.

“My favourite high school subjects were always P.E and sport science. I wanted to keep doing this. I didn’t know exactly what career I wanted but I knew it had to be in the sports industry. When I was looking into my university study options, I chose AUT because I had heard that it has a very practical sport and recreation programme, and that it’s pretty social.”

It’s a decision she hasn’t regretted and she would highly recommend the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation to other students.

“It has been great to experience uni life with my friends who also love sport. Getting to know my lecturers and other staff has also been such a big part of uni life – they’re always friendly and have been supportive. In the first year it's great because you get to do courses focused on all the different majors. This really helped me decide which pathway I wanted to choose later on in my degree.

“My advice to other students would be to get to know and become friends with your peers. Chat to your lecturers too – some of them are pretty funny. Join an AUT sports team. Just get involved as much as you can. Sport is all about connections.”