PROFESSION

Sports Development Manager

Will Roberts

Name:
Will Roberts

Degree:
BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science MSc Sociology of Sport

Employer:
Youth Sport Trust

  • Typical Day
  • Advantages
  • Qualifications
  • Resources

A day in the life of a...
Sports Development Manager

Job Description
Sports Development Managers aim to provide more opportunities for people to participate in sport. They organise sports programmes, coaching, club development and training.

As well as increasing participation rates they also look at using sport as a means to address issues of health, crime and social inclusion. They work with national governing bodies, government departments, local clubs and schools to help deliver government initiatives relating to sport. 

A day in a life of a Sports Development Officer
I work in a national role that allows me to travel the country - from Loughborough to London, Cardiff to Sheffield. It’s rare that I’m sitting behind a desk in a 9-5 style job. 

As the UK School Games Development Manager I regularly have to attend and chair meetings with National Governing Bodies of Sport and other national agencies such as UK Sport, the British Olympic Foundation and Governmental and local authority organisations. 

I have regular internal meetings at the Youth Sport Trust that are focused on how we can make the UK School Games the best it can possibly be. 

I also find myself rubbing shoulders with both past and present sports stars, who act as ambassadors for the Games, which brings a bit of added interest and excitement to my role. 

3 great things about being a Sports Development Manager

 

1. Sport is my passion and always has been, so I have a career that I really care about
   
2. You get to see and understand the difference and impact that the work you do can make to the lives of other people
   
3. There’s always a new challenge – nothing is ever done and dusted so there’s a constant effort to make things better
   
3 not so great things about being in Sports Development
   
1. Because sport is my passion it is sometimes hard to switch off
   
2. In previous roles I have had it was a very blurred line between my work and my spare time as a player and coach in that sport, so sometimes working in your own sport can affect how you enjoy your own spare time
   
3. There’s always a new challenge – nothing is ever done and dusted. Sometimes it would be nice to draw a line after a piece of work and leave it behind!

 

Qualifications recommended you gain

Definitely a sports related degree if you want to go down the University pathway. There are plenty of sports development degrees around now which are tailor made for this career path. 

I did a Sport and Exercise Science degree because when I was doing my A-levels I didn’t know what area of sport I wanted to work in, just that I wanted to work in sport. 

Whilst at University I volunteered to be treasurer and then Chair of the Sports Club I was a member of, and got into coaching and developing the club. This gave me a taste for sports development and I pursued a career in that field.

 

3 opportunities and experiences you recommend people gain?
   
1. Volunteer – get your hands dirty and take on a role at school or in your sports club so you can see what effort has to be put in behind the scenes to give others their sports experience
   
2. Get as broad a range of experiences as possible: coach, lead, officiate, get involved in event set-up, organise fundraising events – all these experiences will provide you with skills that you need in your career. Two of my best experiences were through holidays – in Switzerland we visited the IOC headquarters and Olympic museum when I was at 6th Form, and I went to the Athens Olympics with some friends when I was at University. I felt inspired by these experiences and it gave me the conviction in myself that what I wanted to do was the right thing for me

 

3. Start developing your own thoughts about what would make a difference – who needs a different kind of sports experience? Why? Who can make a change? What other considerations might be taken into account? You must be prepared to generate your own thoughts, there are no hard and fast rules of ‘how to do’ sports development so have your ideas and then be prepared for other people to challenge them!
 
Salary range?

A starting salary in sports development is likely to range between £18-21,000.  As the level of responsibility and challenge increases you can expect to earn in excess of £30,000.
 
Useful Websites
www.youthsporttrust.org
www.ukschoolgames.com

 

Where to study...

You can study a BSc or BA (Hons) in Sports Development at;

Bournemouth University 
Coventry University 
Edge Hill University 
Leeds Metropolitan University 
Leeds Trinity & All Saints
Liverpool Hope University 
Liverpool John Moores University 
Manchester Metropolitan University 
Northumbria University 
Nottingham Trent University 
Sheffield Hallam University 
Southampton Solent University 
Staffordshire University 
Teesside University
UCP Marjon 
University of Abertay 
University of Bath 
University of Bedfordshire 
University of Bolton 
University of Central Lancashire 
University of Chester 
University of Chichester 
University of Cumbria 
University of Derby 
University of East London 
University of Glamorgan 
University of Gloucestershire
University of Lincoln 
University of Northampton 
University of Portsmouth 
University of Sunderland 
University of the West of England 
University of the West of Scotland 
University of Wales
University of Worcester 
York St John University 

Useful Websites 
www.skillsactive.com

Videos
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