When the final whistle has been blown and the last player has trotted off the field, the show still goes on behind-the-scenes.
Whether it be sales or partnerships, digital media or marketing, the work in professional sports never stops.
And with a strong passion for their craft, there are women throughout all of these departments leading the way to make the sports teams in Calgary better.
Jescah Venne, supervisor of entertainment teams across all clubs at CSEC, is approaching a decade working in the sports landscape.
Her role involves overseeing promo teams, mascots, dance and stunt teams, and essentially anything that has a fan engagement piece attached to it.
Her career at CSEC began with a job posting for the Calgary Flames ice crew and has since evolved into a plethora of roles with the organization. After two seasons with the ice crew, Venne was promoted to a full-time position managing the Red and White club (now Stamps House) memberships. Eventually, Venne moved into the events department, assisting with keystone projects such as the 2019 Grey Cup and Jarome Iginla’s retirement night.
This September will mark her 10th hockey season, and just next week she’ll reach her eighth year as a full-time employee.
Approaching a decade in the industry, Venne wants other women aspiring to work in sports know that their dreams are achievable.
“I think in such a male-dominated industry, making sure women know that there is a seat at the table for them is so important,” she said. “Not just to make things more equal, but to show that women are just as capable in these roles.
“I always try to remind my staff that they belong here, they deserve to be in this industry just as much as the next person, and that we’re going to keep fighting and showing why we belong here.”
With their talents and passion, there’s a network of women fearlessly breaking barriers and creating new opportunities in sport every day.
From organizing events such as The Red Lot and Junior Outrider, Venne credits the team of women surrounding her for fostering a supportive community at work.
“It’s really empowering,” she said.
“We really lean on one another to make sure we’re successful as a whole, and not just individually. If one person fails, it’s not that we all fail, but we’re aware that someone needs help, and we are there to pick them up and get them back to the same level so that we can all succeed together as a team.
“We’re nothing without our team.”