Unfortunately there is no defined career path in sport. Unlike in other more mature and more structured industries, you need to be in control of your career in sport, otherwise there is a danger you will drift and not fulfil your own ambitions and expectations.
As sport carries a hugely varied set of sectors and is not helped by this lack of structure, it is absolutely critical that you identify areas of interest.
Through judgement but not necessarily right, GlobalSportsJobs identifies ten different sectors in the industry.
You will need to think which areas are of interest to you and are aligned to your skills.
Within each sector sits another layer of sub-sectors and therefore decisions. For example, agencies and sponsors can include communications, marketing, business development etc. You will need to investigate these areas in order of priority. Make the most out of books, internet, networking and social media to:
Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself - is this type of sector right for me? Can I see myself in this type of role? Working in sport is not all glamour. Jobs in the industry often require long hours and thankless tasks in a rapid and fast-growing industry.
Just be careful – if it has sport in the title it doesn’t make it right or even perfect.
Conclusion
Check out our unique sports industry video interviews and insights.
Global Sports: the world’s leading specialist careers platform for the international sports industry