La Trobe alumna to host 2024 Blues Sport Awards

La Trobe Sport is excited to announce La Trobe University alumna Lauren Bordin as the master of ceremonies for the 2024 Blues Sport Awards.

An emerging star of the sports media industry, Bordin will take on hosting duties for La Trobe University’s showcase sporting event to be hosted at Ikon Park (Carlton Football Club) on Thursday 7 November.

A graduate of La Trobe’s Bachelor of Journalism (Sport) degree in 2016, Bordin is currently a presenter with ABC Sport where she holds a variety of radio broadcast roles, including play-by-play commentary and boundary reporting for the network’s AFL and AFLW coverage.

After four years as a student, Bordin said she was looking forward to reconnecting with the La Trobe University community at the 2024 Blues Sport Awards.

“I’m excited to be a part of the LTU Blues Sport Awards to see what fantastic activities the current group of La Trobe students are undertaking and all the things they are achieving,” she said.

“I loved my time at La Trobe – I really enjoyed the degree and made some great friends along the way. Having lecturers and tutors who had worked in journalism was so valuable when listening to the stories they had from being a part of the media industry.

“I had such a positive time as a student, so to be able to come back and be part of the La Trobe community and share the night with everyone is a privilege.”

Bordin’s journey to becoming a key component of the ABC’s sport coverage began with La Trobe, where in addition to completing her Bachelor of Journalism (Sport) degree, she held the role of Deputy Editor for the University’s student-run news publication, upstart Magazine.

Determined to make her mark in the industry as soon as possible, Bordin secured her first full time role as a sports journalist at Shepparton News while still completing the final semester of her degree. The experience of moving to a regional town while still completing her final few subjects was a challenging juggling act, but one Bordin says held her in great stead for the roles she was to take on in the years to come.

“It was a great experience being thrown into the deep end to learn about a new region and also learn how to cover any sport from Aussie Rules to Volleyball and Croquet,” she said.

“After heading overseas for a bit, I was working in media and communications in Melbourne and began to volunteer calling VFLW games with WARF Radio. This gradually led to contract work and then a full-time job at the ABC.”

Bordin’s role at the ABC is an all-encompassing one, featuring a mix of radio producer duties for the ABC’s suite of sport shows and podcasts during the week, followed by on-air commentary commitments on weekends during the football season. Having impressed in recent years as a play-by-play commentator on ABC Sport’s AFLW coverage, 2024 has provided Bordin with the opportunity to work at several iconic sporting events and venues.

“I’ve called the AFLW since I began at the ABC and this year began calling the AFL (Men’s competition) every Saturday night, as well as working on the boundary on Thursdays and Sundays,” she said.

“This year I covered my first Olympics from studios in Sydney. We worked through the night as a team for two and half weeks and had some wonderful moments, particularly watching Nina Kennedy’s gold in the pole vault and the Stingers’ advance to the Water Polo final.

“During the summer I’ll head out to the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open and help produce our cricket coverage. It’s an incredible experience to see behind the scenes at these events and have the opportunity to do things like be in the Brisbane changerooms after the Lions won the premiership or watch Bruce McAvaney call the 100m sprint at the Olympics. The ABC Sport team are a great group of people to work with and to learn off with a lot of their experience coming from working across the country and internationally as well.”

As for providing advice to any aspiring La Trobe students looking to break into the sports media industry, Bordin’s says having a diversified skillset with a broad range of experiences is crucial to getting a foot in the door.

“There is so much you can do in the media industry now - along with working in print, radio and television, the digital space is opening up room for so many more creative avenues,” she said.

“You can test out different roles to see what you like, which also builds up your skillset if you can work across varied types of media. The skills you learn in any of the traditional medias set you up for success in any other avenue, so they’re a great place to find your feet.

“The main thing is to just have a go, give it your all even if you’re a bit unsure and take on any feedback you’re given to show you’re committed to improving.”

You can join Lauren and the rest of the La Trobe sporting fraternity at the 2024 La Trobe University Blues Sport Awards by purchasing tickets via Humanitix. Individual tickets can be purchased for $110, which includes canapés, main meal, dessert and beer, wine and soft drink.

Stay tuned to the La Trobe Sport Facebook and Instagram channels for more information in the coming weeks leading up to the 2024 La Trobe University Blues Sport Awards.

The 2024 La Trobe University Blues Sport Awards are proudly supported by UniSuper. Book your super consultation on campus here.