DAZN: My Journey, Four Years Later

I began working for DAZN before it was even DAZN, back in 2016. At that time, the company was known as Perform Group, a sports media giant at the forefront of its industry, much as DAZN is today.

I'd transitioned from a stint in retail, where I'd worked for some years as store management, to a support desk role within Perform's newly acquired sports data arm, Opta. It was here that I began to blossom, learning skills I'd dreamt about for the past four years. I became integrated into a well-oiled team, working around the clock to support a thriving and multifaceted company, aiding some of the biggest names in sports and media.

Although I'd never been (and still am not) a real fan, I found myself constantly learning more about the diverse and spectacular world of sports. As time progressed on the support desk, I became familiar with cricket, rugby, football, golf and tennis, and learned more about motorsports and contact sports through colleagues. These aspects compounded with my ever-expanding technical knowledge and contributed massively to my personal development.

However, change is always a good thing, and after more than three years on the support desk, I decided it would be time to take the next step on my path. I'd long been a passionate writer and had used my spare time to carve out a successful side venture as a freelance writer, as well as penning creative material as and when I could. Although I didn't completely anticipate it, DAZN would now offer me a fantastic opportunity to massively advance these skills.

Amidst a transitional period within the company, wherein entities were split and re-organised, I found a new role as a Technical Author. This was to be a somewhat fledgling role, in its infancy but compelling and bursting with potential. The mission: to create a cohesive and collaborative documentation community with DAZN. We'd focus on pioneering standardisation, optimisation and uniformity across documentation of all shapes and sizes.

It was perfect; it was exactly the kind of thing I'd been looking for as my next step, and the fact that it came internally was so much more gratifying. I'd come to deeply value DAZN and had long considered it a second home, my colleagues a second family. In reality, I'd always longed for the environment that DAZN went on to provide. I felt welcomed, I felt recognised, but best of all - I felt like a part of something.

While working in retail was certainly a character-building experience, it never came close to providing me with a sense of fulfilment or satisfaction. As I worked through Perform and DAZN, from a Support Desk Analyst, to Senior Analyst, and then to Technical Author, my job satisfaction increased exponentially.

I found myself working proactively to improve processes and procedures, to open up new paths of communication, and to explore new avenues of innovation. I wanted to do more, to make a bigger impact. There's a real sense of pride within me when I talk about my job. It's not just a daily 9 till 5, it's a way of life. As I've already mentioned, I'm not a huge sports fan, but I can absolutely appreciate the enormous impact it has on lives and cultures around the world. When you tell a sports fan that you work for DAZN, the statement carries with it a buzz. It's exciting.

There was a time I once joked about working for DAZN, labelling it my first "big boy job", and there's some truth in that. There isn't a single part of my daily operations that feels juvenile or unnecessary. This is a company that is really making waves, planting a firm and staunch foothold in the broadcasting and sports industries. If you look inside, you'll see teams working with brilliant innovation and collaboration. There's a real sense of inclusion and everyone's input is welcomed - and encouraged. It's leagues ahead of anything I did before.

It is quite something to behold, and I consider it one of my biggest achievements: four years at DAZN. I'm still relatively young and undoubtedly have an expansive career ahead of me, and I'm resolute in my belief that DAZN will play an enormous part in that. I've got a very exciting time ahead of me as I work with countless teams and employees to help shape the future of documentation for the company.

Let's see how it looks after another four years.