2026 National Careers Week | Finley Bennett
Volleyball Australia’s next spotlight for National Careers Week is; Finley Bennett.
Bennett, an up and coming star on the beach volleyball scene has big goals including winning gold at a home Olympic Games at Brisbane 2032.
But that is just the beginning.
Bennett is currently balancing his sport aspirations with his studies at Adelaide University in Exercise and Sport Science.
Becoming an elite athlete was always the first goal, and he tried every sport he could as a child before focusing on his number one passion in high school, volleyball.
“Once I started playing volleyball as my main sport, I realised that volleyball was what I loved and what I wanted to spend my life pursuing,” he said.
Taking a measured approach to balancing elite volleyball and tertiary studies, a gap year helped him understand the demands of both.
“I actually took a year off study to see how the high performance volleyball looked,” he said.
“After a year, I decided that I still wanted to study and the best pathway for me would be to do it part-time.”
Juggling elite volleyball and a degree is demanding, but he believes the dual careers work hand-in-hand.
“I wanted to learn more about how I can help myself improve on the court, but also help others improve once I retire,” he said.
“It is very important for athletes to have a secondary career.
“This is something that my parents have always spoken to me about since I was very young, as sporting careers can be very unpredictable.
“It’s always better to be prepared, so that if it does happen you have something else to fall back on.”
Bennett admits that it was a challenge in high school to find balance, losing sleep due to late night studying and a habit of pushing things back.
Setting goals is what Bennett credits to trying to strike a balance between university, training, competition and life.
“In high school I struggled a lot with going away on volleyball trips and coming back to assignments and upcoming tests that I was unprepared for.”
When asked about additional strategies he uses to avoid feeling overwhelmed and burnout, he says ‘just have fun’.
“I know it sounds very simple but, even just spending one day with some friends or my family can help take what feels like the weight of the world off my shoulders.”
The best advice he can give to any athlete wanting to explore university studies and other careers while still competing, is just go for it.
“You don’t need to put any extra pressure on yourself because of what other people might think.
“Take any opportunity you get to learn something new, as sometimes that is how you find out what you really love doing and might want to pursue after sport.”
