From one 'ground' to another - Ethan’s transition to work at SA’s most iconic venue

After building his hospitality skills at Novita’s Grounds for Growth cafes, Ethan has secured a new role at a different type of ground – South Australia’s most iconic sporting venue, the Adelaide Oval.

Ethan started his employment journey as a participant of Novita’s Transition to Work program, which supports young people with disability to build workplace skills, explore career goals and gain real-world work experience. 

Through his work at Novita’s Grounds for Growth cafes at the Hindmarsh Head Office and the NovitaTech store on Manton Street, Ethan developed the confidence needed to take the next step towards his employment goals. 

“One of the main skills that Novita taught me is customer service,” Ethan said. 

“At Novita I would serve customers operating the point-of-sale system, similar to Adelaide Oval where I am serving customers in a faster paced environment.” 

Ethan’s role at Adelaide Oval includes serving customers, operating the point-of-sale system, preparing food, restocking fridges and helping maintain and clean the kitchen and service areas. 

He started in March 2026 and was initially supported in his role by his Novita support worker, Peter, as he became used to working in a busy, matchday environment. 

Ethan’s advice for others considering completing Novita’s Transition to Work program is simple: 

“Take it seriously, try your best, listen and really try to learn all the skills at Novita,” Ethan said. 

“And once you’re ready, just talk to a support worker or someone at Novita to see if they can connect you with a company that you’re interested in, and hopefully you can land a job. 

“Now I have the job at Adelaide Oval I feel more accomplished [and] I have more confidence.”  

Ethan sees a long future at Adelaide Oval, saying it enables him to “be a part of something greater”. 

“I would like to work at Adelaide Oval as long as I can, even if I apply for a different role. Once I graduate uni, I might apply for [another] role [here]… but I think I’d like to work at Adelaide Oval for a long time,” Ethan said. 

“I work with a great team and everyone is so nice and supportive. 

“I’m just proud that I’m working at Adelaide Oval and I’m just happy to be a part of Adelaide Oval’s team.”