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Sports administrator

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Sports administrators combine a passion for sport with the skills to coordinate activities, manage facilities and ensure programmes run smoothly

As a sports administrator, you'll help ensure the smooth running of a sports organisation. Activities can range from reception work at a local sports club to marketing or human resources for a major sporting body. There are also opportunities with funding bodies and in local authority sports development.

Your responsibilities will be similar to those of administrators in other fields, but with a focus on sports and fitness.

Additional duties are likely to include promoting the services your club offers, responding to queries from members, fundraising and possibly working with budgets or dealing with supply chains. You'll often find opportunities to take on higher levels of responsibility fairly quickly.

Sport has gained political and social significance over the years, with growing awareness of its contribution to personal health, community development and the national economy. As a result, there is increasing demand for higher quality and more diverse provision, and staff are expected to possess a range of skills and attributes.

Responsibilities

As a sports administrator, you'll need to:

carry out admin duties, using systems and processes relevant to the organisation
respond to enquiries and requests for information from other organisations and members of the public
ensure systems, processes and databases are efficient and well-managed
provide administrative support to managerial staff and heads of organisations
arrange meetings, training, coaching, festivals, conferences and other events
promote sport in schools
work with students or young people
liaise with local sports councils, regional committees and national governing bodies
consult with clients, members, the community and local sporting organisations
advise sports clubs on areas such as planning, funding, promotion and regulations
manage budgets, control finance allocated for community activities and sometimes coordinate or raise sponsorship
undertake or commission research and collate, map and monitor data
produce promotional literature, reports and event materials, as well as liaise with marketing and media groups
make presentations to grant-making bodies and other relevant authorities
manage, supervise and train staff, sometimes running an office
support colleagues to encourage and develop sport in the local, regional, national or even international community
serve on regional and national government think tanks and task groups
participate in the resolution of political and ethical issues, such as conflicts of interest between partner organisations, use of banned substances, and breaches of regulations.

Salary

Typical starting salaries for sports administrators in the UK can vary, starting from £18,000 and averaging around £22,000.
Salaries may increase to between £28,000 and £30,000 with experience and increased responsibility.
Senior managers of a large sports facility can earn between £38,000 and £45,000, while sports directors with years of experience can expect a salary of around £67,000.

Pay can vary widely depending on the size and type of employer, your level of responsibility, the popularity of the sport you work in, and its ability to generate money and attract government and lottery funding.

For example, you may find pay is higher within one of the five major UK sports (football, rugby, tennis, cricket and athletics) as they can generate substantial income from sponsorship and televised events.

Your salary may also be affected by a sport's status in recognised, international competitions, such as the Commonwealth Games, World Cup or Olympics. Public authority roles usually follow a structured pay scale.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Sports administrator working hours will depend on the type of role you're in. For example, if you carry out office-based admin, you may do regular hours, such as 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

However, if you work within the reception area of a sports club or on events and tournaments, your shift will be determined by the opening hours of the club and the times of events that you may need to attend.

In these instances, you may work a shift pattern and be expected to work unsocial hours, including evenings and weekends.

Part-time hours are usually available depending on the type of role you're in. Self-employment and freelance work are not as common, although some senior sports administrators may act as consultants to event organisers.

What to expect

Some jobs are restricted to specific locations related to governing bodies, but these increasingly have regional satellite offices.
Many parts of the sector are highly commercialised, so a level of business awareness and a professional approach are expected when dealing with the public and other contacts.
Dress code, ranging from sportswear to business dress, depends on the nature of your role and your employer.
Travel within a working day is frequently required, such as visiting clubs, sports development officers, accountants, sponsors, educational institutions, event organisers and media groups. Overnight absence from home may sometimes be necessary.
Opportunities for international travel vary between roles and employers. Sports administrators working for national or international bodies or clubs are more likely to travel than those based in smaller or more local organisations.

Qualifications

Although sports administration is open to graduates with any degree, HND or foundation degree, the following subjects may increase your chances of finding employment:

business, management or marketing
education or physical education
health management or health promotion
leisure studies or recreation management
sports science, sports management or sports development.

If you have an HND or foundation degree, you may need to demonstrate a high level of skill and motivation to compete with honours degree graduates.

Entry without a degree, HND or foundation degree is sometimes possible but is dependent on relevant experience and vocational or sports-specific education. It may also be possible to start in an entry-level administration post and then work your way up to higher levels of responsibility as you gain experience.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not needed, though students who have not studied business or management modules may increase their chances with a postgraduate or professional qualification in this field. Search postgraduate courses in business.

You should look at the particular role within sports administration you're interested in and investigate whether a postgraduate qualification would be beneficial.

Competition can be intense, so making contacts and networking from an early stage is essential. Be prepared to gain experience through voluntary work and relevant university activities. It's also worth writing speculatively to employers.

Skills

You'll need to have:

a passion for sport and an awareness of the issues affecting the industry
good IT and administrative skills and attention to detail
commercial awareness and a professional approach
a high degree of self-motivation and a drive for change and improvement
enthusiasm and resilience
the ability to build and maintain effective relationships, as well as communicate well with a variety of people
good planning, organising and time management skills
the ability to bond with a team in a dynamic and customer-focused environment
the ability to project a positive image of sport to people at all levels.

Knowledge of the local area your role is based in can also be useful.

Work experience

Pre-entry administrative experience is essential and may compensate for a lack of formal qualifications. This can be from any sector and may be built up through part-time work or an internship. Recruitment agencies often advertise administration posts.

Sporting ability is not a prerequisite but evidence of an interest in sport, such as being a member of a club or having a sports leader award or coaching badges, may be advantageous.

Having experience within specific job areas, such as media, events organisation, IT, marketing or human resources, can significantly improve chances of career progression, which may come with a higher salary.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Sport is very much a growth sector. Lottery funding and government initiatives in the UK have led to an increase in employment opportunities in many sports associations and governing bodies at local, regional and national levels.

Sports administration roles can be found in a variety of settings, such as:

professional or amateur sports clubs, which vary hugely in size
bodies responsible for the governing of a particular sport, such as the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) or the Football Association (FA)
local leisure clubs or health spas
school and university sports facilities.

Sport is increasingly a government policy priority for reducing obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles, meaning you'll also find opportunities in central government and local authorities.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for encouraging wider participation in sport, and there are many other bodies, including the National Lottery, that offer support. There are five government-funded sports councils:

These councils distribute lottery funding, as well as employ sports administrators and researchers.

Sport is becoming increasingly used as a means of community development and social inclusion, and there may be opportunities to move into a career in the charitable or community sector. In this case, experience working with minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities or young people will be valuable.

There may also be opportunities with international development organisations or non-governmental organisations providing voluntary projects overseas in areas such as sports coaching.

International opportunities exist for representing sports clients, and in branding, sponsorship, sales or consumer products licensing.

Look for job vacancies at:

You could also try websites of sports governing and organising bodies, or local authorities.

Professional development

A highly skilled, well-qualified and innovative workforce is essential to ensure the UK's sport and recreation sector remains successful at home and abroad. In light of this, some of the larger organisations have developed graduate training schemes to help new entrants develop the correct levels of skill and knowledge.

Much of the training tends to be on the job and varies according to the role. Some sports administrators attend IT training and workshops on relevant legislation, or courses to develop professional skills and organisational abilities, such as chairing meetings, influencing and negotiating, events management and time management.

CIMSPA has details of seminars, courses and conferences. A variety of courses exist to cover specific areas of sports administration. For those involved in club management, the Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) offers online courses and a management development programme.

Courses to enhance effectiveness and aid future career development include part-time options, which can be carried out while working, such as National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) or programmes in finance or marketing. Postgraduate qualifications in management or business administration are another option.

Mentoring is evolving in some governing bodies and can be an excellent tool for personal and career development.

Visits to relevant organisations and conferences are also excellent ways of developing knowledge and building useful contacts.

Career prospects

Opportunities for promotion depend on the size and nature of your organisation. If you start at a support or secretarial level, there may be opportunities to progress to a higher-level sports administrator role, then potentially to a managerial position. This route is more likely in a smaller organisation. You could become a manager of a team, a development officer or manager, or even managing director.

To achieve promotion at a higher level, it may be necessary to move to another organisation.

As you build up your experience, you may specialise in a certain sport and progress through relevant sporting establishments, or you may focus on a certain area of administration, such as marketing or funding.

You may find career development opportunities through voluntary work or your own leisure activities, where you can learn new skills and gain practical experience.

Working as a sports administrator enables you to gain good, all-round knowledge of the sector and its related fields, while also building solid contacts.

Some people use their experience as an entry point for future careers in other aspects of sport or related areas, such as corporate sponsorship, media planning or health promotion.