Skip to main content

Careers in Sport

There is no single, defined career path in sport. As an evolving industry, it is important to be pro-active, as you begin or develop your career. Global Sports offers the following basic advice, organised around three main imperatives.

Defining your career path

Understand the structure of the industry

  • Sport includes a wide variety of sectors and this lack of clear structure can be difficult to navigate. Global Sports identifies ten core sectors that it believes make up the sports industry, namely:
    • Agencies and Sponsors
    • Clubs and Teams
    • Education and Charities
    • Elite Performance and Coaching
    • Federations
    • Leisure and Health
    • Media, Technology and Broadcasting
    • Science and Medicine
    • Sporting Goods
    • Venues, Events and Suppliers.

Do your research

  • Within each sector, there are various sub-sectors and therefore more career decisions to be made. For example, the agencies and sponsors sector can include communications, marketing, business development, research and sales. You need to investigate these areas carefully. Read around the subject. Read about key people in the sector. Learn about the organisations that make up these sub-sectors: What do they do? How they do it? Look at job specifications to get a better feel for the skills required. Look at the people on LinkedIn that have worked for these companies in the past: What do they do now? What has been their career path?

Be realistic

  • Be honest with yourself and ask yourself these questions:
    • Is this type of sector right for me and am I right for it?
    • Can I see myself in this type of role?
    • Where might this job lead me?
  • Remember: working in sport is not all glamour. Jobs in the industry often require long hours and challenging tasks in a rapidly changing environment. If the job has ‘sport’ in the title, it doesn't necessarily make it the right job for you. Nevertheless, the sport industry can offer great career opportunities, so do persevere.

Birkbeck Futures

At Birkbeck, we have a specific team called Birkbeck Futures, which is a one-stop service that combines the Careers Service, Enterprise Pathways and Birkbeck Talent to support our students and graduates in their future lives. Please contact the Team to find out more.

Job Portals