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What kind of person do I need to be?
If you’re interested in becoming a spor ts professional you’ll need to
have exceptional talent and a high level of physical fitness. Commitment,
discipline and dedication will be impor tant qualities for you to model
and you will need to be able to cope with the demands a career in spor t
can place upon you. However, you can use your enthusiasm for spor t in
other sectors of the industry. You will need lots of enthusiasm for your
discipline, excellent communication skills, the ability to motivate and
inspire others, project management skills and a suppor tive approach.
In other roles you may need excellent customer service skills, a strong
practical ability, the capacity to interpret plans and drawings, and be
willing to work outdoors in all types of weather. You will also need an
awareness of health and safety issues.
Spor t
What skills will I learn?
What goes on behind the scenes in sport is just as important as
what take place in the event itself. As a result, there are a diverse
range of subjects available for study. Exercise and health,
coaching, spor ts development and management represent
a number of options but you can also explore the science of
technology, biomechanics, physiology, psychology or even
the relationship between spor t and the media. You’ll develop a
range of skills including the ability to conduct research, analyse
data, apply critical thinking and solve problems. Spor t will also
teach you about leadership, teamwork, discipline, risk taking and
how to deal with failure. You could also gain a firm grounding
in business skills exploring finance, corporate planning, human
resources, marketing and legal matters.
How do I get there?
To work successfully as a sports professional you should start your career
by joining a club where you will receive instruction and training.Start training
as young as possible to give yourself the best chance to develop your talent
and skills. You will need to be massively dedicated to your sport and have
maximum support from others. Ideally, you should attract the attention of a
talent scout or have exposure to county and national coaching in your sport
in order to progress. Careers in sport science will require you to achieve
a degree and possibly a postgraduate qualification. Other more traditional
careers in sport may also require a degree or a Higher National Diploma.
Elsewhere, you may need to achieve a coaching qualification and if working
with children have Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) clearance. Some job
roles require no formal entry qualifications although you can improve
your chances of success by attaining an award or a certificate at either
Level 1 or Level 2. Apprenticeships offer an alternative progression route
into the industry.