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About Sports Management
You'll become
Average Salaries
Sports Management workers may earn between $54,000 and $160,000 per year
You live and breath sport – and now, you can make it your career. Start by studying a sports management course.
You’re naturally organised, have a head for making decisions, and want an exciting and dynamic career working with people. Turn your natural talents into a new career in the sporting world by studying a sports management course.
Applying business principles to the sports industry, sports management course graduates contribute specialised business, management and leadership skills to a wide range of sporting clubs, events and individuals. Part of the fabric of Australian society, sport is in our blood – and, by studying a sport management course, you can turn your love of it into a dynamic new career.
In a sports management course, you’ll build the specialised knowledge and practical business skills required to work in a range of roles in the sports industry. You’ll study in key business areas like strategic planning, resource management, marketing and media engagement, preparing you to work in operations or management in a sporting club or for a sporting event, or to work in a relationship-focused role as a player’s agent, membership consultant, or sports promoter.
Your role will vary depending on the business, club or organisation you work for, but a sports management qualification will ensure you’ll spend your working days living and breathing all aspects of sports. From working with players , coaches and managers, to ensuring patrons and members have access to sporting games, services and experiences, to advancing the reputation of the sports industry, a sports management qualification will give you the tools necessary to thrive in your work and spread the sports you love with thousands of others.
You may study a sports administration course as a bachelor’s degree, or study business as a certificate or diploma course, as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or as an advanced diploma or other post-graduate certificate, and apply your business principles to the sporting industry.
After completing a sports management course, you may seek employment in a management or membership role in a sports club or organisation, work in sports event management or in athlete representation.
If you’re passionate about sport and want an exciting and fulfilling career in the industry, a sports management course is your first step.
What do sports management graduates do?
Sports management course graduates may work in a range of leadership, management and client-focused roles in the spots industry.
As a manager or director of a sports club, organisation or event, you will work to provide overall strategic direction, planning and management, and can expect to perform tasks like:
- Developing, implementing and monitoring procedures, policies and standards for staff and operations;
- Coordinating and administering sports programs and services;
- Monitoring and managing sports resources, stocks and supplies;
- Providing overall day-to-day management for a sport or recreation service, facility, organisation or centre;
- Providing administrative management including planning and monitoring budgets, preparing reports, requesting maintenance and maintaining supply levels;
- Providing leadership, making decisions and resolving conflicts;
- Recruiting, inducting, managing, training and leading staff;
- Liaising with other sport and recreation providers, boards and funding bodies to discuss areas of cooperation;
- Representing your organisation in public, including in negotiations and in seminars and presentations, and conducting media interviews;
- Providing marketing and customer service support;
- Advising government bodies about measures to improve services; and
- Performing day-to-day administrative tasks, including
You may also work in a sports media, sports program development, or in a customer service focused role in a role like membership relations, where you’ll use your interpersonal skills to ensure people’s interactions with your sports club or organisation are satisfying.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
You’ll likely seek work in a sports club or organisation, with a sports promotion or management service, or in sports tourism and event management
After completing a sports management course you may work as a:
Is sports management right for you?
You’ll find working in sports management exciting and rewarding if you:
- Love sport
- Enjoy problem-solving
- Are a natural leader
- Have big ideas
- Are highly motivated
- Love working with people
- Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Are highly organised and efficient
- Are proactive and can work independently
- Can think strategically and exercise sound judgment
- Can remain calm under pressure
- Can speak confidently in public
- Enjoy fast-paced work
- Enjoy challenging yourself
- Want to make a difference
Job opportunities
The Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts strong growth in job opportunities for roles in management over the next decade, predicting the management profession will grow to employ an additional 7,900 people by 2020. Currently employing approximately 51,000 people, the profession is considered large, and roles are available in most areas of Australia.
Average Salaries
Sports management course graduates usually work in management or coordinating roles. According to PayScale, a general manager can expect to earn a salary between $54,000 and $160,000 per year, with an average annual salary of approximately $92,000. An operations manager can expect to earn between $35,000 and $90,000 per year, and entry-level managers may enjoy earning a competitive average salary of approximately $50,000 per year.
At the highest levels of business, chief executive officers and chief financial officers can take home base salaries in excess of $300,000, according to Job Outlook, and may also hold stock in a company or share profits with shareholders in addition to receiving a wage.