Meet the team: A passion for sport at Edwin Doran Sports Tours

Written by Daisy Mae Shuttleworth July 30, 2026

At Edwin Doran Sports Tours, sport isn’t just what we organise, it’s what our team lives for. We sat down with three members of staff, Jamie, our Head of Sales, Beth, our Operations Manager, and Pete, our MasterClass Sales Manager to talk about their roles, how they found their way into a career built around sport, and where their love of the game first began.

Watch the full video from our sports team here:

What is your job role, and what does that role involve?

Jamie: “I’m the head of sales at Edwin Doran Sports Tours. My job focuses on the strategic direction of the business, so I work on what our future plans are. Whether it be our work with external partners, or thinking of ways we can push the women in sport movements, whatever it may be to launch us forward, I will be working on that alongside the senior leadership team.”

Beth: “I’m the operations manager at Edwin Doran Sports Tours. I’ve been here for 14 years now, and on a day-to-day, it really varies. I look after the operations side, so once the tour is booked and a group is travelling with us, it’s then up to me to book everything and arrange everything. Ensuring groups get to the right place at the right time, and also support the rest of the team in doing that too.”

Pete: “I’m the sales manager at MasterClass. We run our itineraries from scratch, so I’ll have the initial conversation with teachers, and find out what they’re looking for from their trip. We build itineraries for all sports, to destinations all over the world, throughout the year.

For our MasterClass events, I then actually go out with some of the team to rep the events. This means we’re able to travel out to resort. We go three times a year to see our groups in Holland and Spain. We get to see firsthand the tours that we’ve built and put together, which is a really rewarding aspect of the job role.”

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How did you get into this role, and start your career within the sporting world?

Pete: “I went on tour with Edwin Doran to play rugby in South Africa in 2009. I had the time of my life. Having never travelled that sort of distance before, never seen that kind of destination before, it really opened my eyes in terms of what’s out there in the world of travel.

I went and did a totally unrelated degree, but whilst I was at university, the idea of sport and travel never really left my mind. Afterwards, Ithen decided to put my work towards sport radio, so I went and led the sports department for the student radio station in Cardiff. I did that for two or three years, which included varsity coverage, including having reporters all over the city, and covering all different sports. We then also paired this with commentary at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff which was incredible.

This experience got me into the logistic and events side of things which pairs nicely with the MasterClass side of things. So, this experience got my foot through the door. From there, a job came available and I was lucky enough to get the role. Thirteen years later I’ve now travelled all over the world with Edwin Doran and MasterClass, and sent groups to destinations across the globe, which has been really rewarding.”

Beth: “I came out of university, and I couldn’t find a job. If I’m being completely honest, I thought it would have been so easy to find a job once I had graduated. I eventually started a 16-week internship with Experience Education ,within the marketing department. I started working on the websites, in hindsight I wasn’t too sure what I was doing!

We then had our first GSA netball tournament, and as I was passionate about netball, and the team needed help, I was then asked to support with this event. I enjoyed it so much, that I then realised that marketing wasn’t for me, and instead operations were more suited to me. I then moved to a full-time role, within the operations department.

Jamie: “For this role, I was lucky enough to go on an Edwin Doran sports tour with a member of the team at the time. We got on well, and as a result offered me a role within the Edwin Doran team.

In terms of getting into the sporting world, I’ve come through the educational route, as I worked in a school sports partnership beforehand. That role came through playing sport, and offering my coaching services as a volunteer, back when I was still at school.

How did your love of sport start?

Beth: “I’ve always been sporty, ever since the start. I was a swimmer, for a very long time. I was hugely committed to swimming, and competitive swimming. Then, at school I was just one of those kids who was in every team, even if I wasn’t very good. I could play netball, and I could play hockey. Tennis I got roped into because they needed an extra player. I was part of it all, and it’s always been a huge part of my life, and it still is

now. I still play netball, and I just think sport is an incredible thing to be part of. I’m so proud that I work within sport and can still enjoy it on a personal level too.”

Jamie: “My love of sport came from being a kid and watching my parents playing sport. I remember going down to the rugby club and my dad playing a game, I must have been four or five, and just enjoying the atmosphere of the sport, so that really got me wanting to be involved. That enjoyment then snowballed and has led me to still play sport now.”

Pete: “I was born into a black and white shirt, and my dad is a huge Newcastle fan. I’ve always followed football. At school I threw myself into every team I could. I played rugby, cricket, and I was always playing golf camps in the summer. I was a jack of all trades, and a master of none!

That love of sport has never gone away, and now I follow pretty much every sport there is. I love watching the variety of sports during the Olympics, and I follow the Premier League week in and week out. When you live and breathe sport, it comes across in your work life as well, because we speak to teachers and students about sports all day, every day.”

Do you have any tips for students wanting to get into a sporting career, which isn’t the typical player?

Jamie: “One of my big tips is about learning to standout. We see a huge number of applications that come through your general channels, such as LinkedIn. However, the people that really standout to us, are the ones who have been proactive, and contacted us directly. This could either be via email or on the phone, and they come across as more confident. These candidates put themselves out there, and that shows something about their character. I think if you can do that, and have the confidence to do that, it’s a strong step to go into a career which is popular. Being in a sporting career is popular, so there are a lot of applications. We’re sport and travel, so roles are even more popular.”

Pete: “I would say have a look at what’s out there and throw yourself into as much as possible. I never really knew what I wanted to do, even going through university. It was only actually going through students radio, and the sport side of that, that I discovered different avenues where I could work in a sporting capacity, but in marketing or in behind-the-scenes management or in travel. There are so many opportunities out there, and the world of sport is massive, it’s not just the players on the pitch. All those areas that keep sport ticking behind the scenes need people; you may just need to look a bit harder for them.”

Beth: “I would say get experience. When I started thinking about my career, I always thought that you would do your A-levels, get your degree, and then you would find a job. That just isn’t the case. I felt like I didn’t have enough experience on my CV, to get me in the door. If anyone wanted any work experience with us, they are more than welcome to reach out about a potential opportunity .”

What comes through in all three conversations is that this isn’t a team simply booking trips: it’s a team of people who understand, first-hand, what sport can do for young people. Between them, Jamie, Beth, Pete and the rest of the Edwin Doran team, bring together decades of experience in sport, travel and education ,and that expertise sits behind every itinerary we build. It’s why teachers and sports leaders the country trust Edwin Doran Sports Tours to deliver trips that are safe, seamlessly organised, and built around what will genuinely benefit their students.

From swimming galas and rugby clubs to student radio and school playing fields, Jamie, Beth and Pete each found their own route into a sporting career, but they’re united by the same enthusiasm for sport that shapes the tours we deliver today. If you’re a teacher or sports leader looking to give your students an experience they’ll remember for years to come, we’d love to help you plan it.