Overview of the diverse careers available in sport

The opportunity to work in the sports industry offers a chance to work in an area you enjoy.

There are many career opportunities in the sport and leisure industry Sports Coach Journalist Photographer Broadcaster Reporter Match Official Physiotherapist Sports Psychologist Performance Analyser Strength and Conditioning Coach Performance Life stylist Sports Development Marketing Officer Events Organiser Nutrionist

Careers in Sport is a website for people interested in working in the sport and leisure industry and provides helpful guidance on the experience and qualifications required for a diverse range of careers. Featuring profiles from organisations such as.....

Professionals in the fields of sports science, sports coaching, sports management and sports media describe their typical day, the benefits and disadvantages of their profession, their salary and offer you excellent advice on the qualifications and experience required to get you ahead in your preferred career path.

SPORTS COACHING / TEACHING SPORTS MEDIA SPORTS SCIENCE SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Sports Coaching/Teaching One of the most popular areas people want to work in. Be aware full time sports coaching positions are not common Places for PE teacher training are decreasing while demand is increasing e.g. The University of Southampton had over 400 applicants for 24 places on their PGCE PE course last year.

Sports Coaching Children’s Coaching Participation Coaching Performance Coaching Elite Performance Coaching National Governing Board Coaching Awards BSc Sport Coaching MSc Sport Coaching Sports Coach UK

Career Guidance Volunteer to be a coaching assistant at your local sports club 2.Gain work experience placements 3.Try coaching different sports and ages to test your coaching ability and not just have knowledge of one sport. 4.Get a coach mentor who you respect and ask them to observe you and offer constructive feedback 5.Keep a diary/coaching journal 6.Gain coaching qualifications

PE Teaching There are various routes into Physical Education teaching. Try and do GCSE PE and post 16 qualifications that are relevant (A level PE; BTEC Sport; have a look at the new Sport and Active Leisure Diploma which started in 2010). You can then do a BEd in Physical Education (but these might be stopping soon) or a relevant undergraduate degree followed by a PGCE or GTP course. If you take the latter route, which is better financially, try and pick a sports degree that is closely related to PE, such as BA Physical Education or BA Sports Coaching. Please note: A sports science degree is less relevant if you want to pursue a career as a PE teacher.

Career Guidance Doing a year in a school before applying to do a PGCE / GTP is helpful (but do try and get as much experience teaching in PE as possible) 2. Work as a Play worker / youth worker in your holidays, or Camp America to gain experience working with children 3. Find experiences where you can coach young people – perhaps at your local sports club 4.Keep up to date with the latest government initiatives 5.Gain coaching/teaching qualifications in a wide range of activities (while you might be a very good footballer it is highly likely you will need to teach gymnastics, dance and athletics) 6.Read the latest teacher training PE textbooks to develop your knowledge and understanding

Sports Media Sky Sports has 5 channels Newspapers have sports supplements Talk Sport Radio Station Sports Magazines for many sports Sports websites e.g. Teamtalk

A day in the life of a Sports Journalist No day is ever the same being a sports journalist, you could be attending an England rugby press conference, reporting on a Champions League match or rustling up a hard-hitting news story in the office. What each day does have in common is a need to put in a lot of research and a satisfaction at the end of a job well done. A National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) qualification is an essential stepping stone to a career into any field of journalism not just sport.

Career Guidance 1.Apply to your local and national newspapers, to magazines and websites to try and gain a broad understanding of each different field of journalism. 2.Make sure you are writing regularly, even if it is not published. Next time a football or rugby game is on TV try turning the commentary off and writing a 200-word match report within five minutes of the final whistle. 3.Create your own blog website and write regular articles. 4.Visit local sports events and write a report. Send this to your local newspaper. 5.Build up a portfolio of work. Useful Websites courses.com

Sports Science More career opportunities are becoming available within the field of sports science as sports clubs and athletes appreciate the importance of healthy nutrition, a positive mental state and injury prevention techniques.

Sport and Exercise Science degrees differ from university to university in the content of their curriculum but all include common aspects which dominate any of these degree programmes. These key areas include exercise physiology, sport and exercise psychology, diet and nutrition, strength and conditioning, biomechanics and research methods.

When considering which degree programme is the one for you, think carefully about the specific modules on offer and the amount of theory and practical available at the university to ensure that you can develop both a knowledge and understanding of the areas that are of most interest to you and importantly for your future career.

Having completed a degree graduates normally take one of two routes. First, graduates achieve direct entry into the jobs market working in sport, exercise, leisure, health and fitness, wellness or sports management areas. Second, graduates may progress to earn a higher degree such as an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science or even some that progress directly onto a PhD to earn a doctorate. This is normally a very specialised area of research within one of the disciplines of sport and exercise science and in areas such as psychology many practitioners have at least an MSc and are working toward a PhD.

There are very few jobs entitled ‘sport scientist’ or ‘exercise scientist’. Often the job opportunities are defined within the specific sub-disciplines such as ‘strength and conditioning coach’, ‘diet and nutritionist’ or ‘sport psychologist’ rather than the broader discipline. Opportunities are therefore available in a range of settings from sports organisations, sport governing bodies, sports clubs and schools to health and fitness, rehabilitation and the NHS.

There are some areas within sport and exercise science that you can become qualified in as part of a degree or with CPD and short courses (e.g. strength and conditioning, exercise on prescription or sports coaching awards) while others require additional training. These areas (e.g. Sport and Exercise Psychology) have well defined career pathways and post-graduate training and experience is required. A useful careers resource is available by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES). Go to for more information. For more specific information on areas such as Sport and Exercise Psychology go to for a guide to becoming a chartered psychologist.

Sports Management Can you imagine the amount of organisation that is required to ensure the London 2012 Olympics runs efficiently? The event has had a team working on the organisation and management in areas such as exhibitions, conferences, product launches, social events, ticketing, marketing and running the event itself.

1.Develop your team skills and learn to work with a wide range of personalities by joining school / college committees or voluntary groups 2.Don’t hold out for your dream event, climb the rungs of the ladder and look at getting your foot in the door. After all, the skills you acquire will always be transferable. For instance, my first event was the British Open Chess Championships and ten years later I’m working with Olympic athletes 3.Source opportunities to become involved in major sporting events. The UK will be hosting a number of prestigious events in the build up to London 2012 and will require assistance to help them run efficiently. Volunteering is one of the most important aspects of staging a successful event and the process to completing application forms will stand you in good stead for the future

A career in sport offers far more opportunities than just coaching or teaching. If sport is a passion for you then working in the sports industry could be a wonderful career for you.

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