What is Sports Management?
The sporting industry is integral to Australian business and lifestyle. Every year, Australians flock to sporting matches across a variety of codes, whether this be to play or as spectators. The physical, emotional and social benefits of a sporting culture are undeniable.
Sports management includes the planning, organisation and compliance activities associated with any sporting or physical activity. It ranges from the initial ideas for new activities, right through to the assessment of event impact and long-term viability of the sport in a given area.
Sports management is required for the smallest local community games, right through to national and international sporting competitions, including the National Rugby League, the Commonwealth Games, and even the Olympics.
With Queensland already gearing up to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, there has never been a better time to dive into the industry and consider how you can help support Australia’s love of sport.
Combining key tenets of business, human resources and marketing, sports management may be involved with every stage of the sporting event process. Sports managers often assist with location scouting, match planning, workplace health and safety oversight, on-day direction and coordination, and much more.
Sports management requires sound financial management skills, as budgets are important to the planning of any event. You will become knowledgeable in projecting profits, allowing for employee pay and managing costs of an event.
The field also requires an understanding of the way athletes and spectators operate. Sports managers must have appropriate support systems in place to encourage peak performance among their players. Additionally, an awareness of consumer behaviour will assist in the smooth management of any sporting event, as you may be responsible for driving things like spectator numbers, food and beverage sales, and merchandising.
It is also vital for sports managers to understand the social and cultural impact of the game on the community around them, whether this be local, national or international. Sporting fields are increasingly called upon to lead social and cultural change, and sporting managers must consider a range of scenarios when guiding their teams or players.
What does a sports manager do?
Sports managers draw on their organisational and interpersonal skills to ensure every aspect of a sporting event runs smoothly.
Working as a sports manager, a core aspect of your role will be the organisation and planning of sporting events. Depending on the scope and scale of the event, this will likely encompass securing a venue, checking capacity and ticketing limits, scouting talent and handling the logistics of managing a large amount of people in one location. Time management skills are vital here as you balance competing demands to ensure every detail is finalised before the event.
You may find yourself working heavily in the marketing area of sports management. Here, you will use your strong interpersonal skills to attract people to your event. You may be called upon to write sports-focused copy, design campaigns to draw in fans or engage with communities via social media. You’ll develop a strong sports knowledge base, as you’ll need to balance technical terms with consumer accessible language.
Some sports managers also work closely with individual athletes. In this role, you may find yourself liaising with a variety of stakeholders to assist your athlete with their performance and promotion. Responsibilities could include managing training schedules, booking public relations appearances, and assisting in finding new and exciting opportunities.
Facilities management is also an area in which sports managers may work. Here, you will be responsible for the operation of one particular sporting location, such as a stadium or arena. Your organisational skills will be at the fore, as you juggle budgets, staffing and the management of multiple sporting events.
No matter the role you taken on, you’ll find ample opportunities to demonstrate your dedication to the sporting industry, as well as getting to work in a field you are passionate about and with a wide variety of interesting people.
Explore your study options in Sports and Events Management
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Kickstart your career with real-world industry experience and knowledge across the business sphere. Be ready today for tomorrow by learning how to analyse current trends to predict future priorities. Pursue profit and manage loss by developing effective strategies that are fit-for-purpose and unique to a business’s needs. Become a professional who can lead an organisation, support its strategy and innovate its operations.
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Give your career a far-reaching, competitive start with this double business and law degree. Pair your business insight in accounting, economics, management, marketing or tourism, with a strong understanding of legal principles to bring unparalleled expertise to future roles. You'll gain practical experience through real-world case scenarios, internships and mock trials in 'moot' e-court facilities. This course is an approved qualification to practise law in Queensland.
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With an advanced understanding of human behaviour and motivation, a Bachelor of Business — Bachelor of Psychological Science will empower you with the skills to maximise your employability and stand out in your future workplace. Your critical thinking, decision-making skills and knowledge of business operations will be bolstered by an understanding of what motivates employees and how to create healthy, productive work environments.
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Boost your employability with JCU Commerce. Get a head start with tailored industry experience and build your network through practical learning opportunities. In assisting individuals at tax time or navigating trade with international businesses, your studies will equip you with the knowledge and skills to drive success in a diverse career.
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Be equipped to pursue new professional roles or areas of industry as you enhance your career with a specialisation in business administration. Develop contemporary management and leadership skills and learn how to strategically analyse, plan and implement decisions in the workplace. Graduate eligible for positions in management, consultancy and market research.
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What jobs are there in sports management?
The sporting industry is a large and diverse field. Sport management students have highly developed organisational and problem-solving skills that combine with their passion for sport. This empowers them to take on a variety of roles.
Studying sports management at JCU provides you with the skills to plan for, organise and assess a wide variety of sporting events. You will develop strong knowledge of the logistical demands of staging sporting events and understand how best to respond to all workplace health and safety requirements.
Your JCU degree could take you across Australia, or around the world. You’ll be equipped to organise small- and large-scale sporting events, work for major sporting organisations, or even as part of a nation’s Olympic preparation team.
With a JCU Bachelor of Business, majoring in Sports and Event Management, you may find yourself in roles such as:
- Athletic director
- Facilities manager
- Sports promoter
- Agent
- Sports marketing executive
- Public relations advisor
- Training coordinator
- Community sport officer.
Why study Sports Management at JCU?
Effective sports management requires you to have an adaptable skills base and a wide variety of industry-relevant knowledge. A JCU Bachelor of Business will enable you to develop this expertise. JCU’s focus on practical learning means you will have numerous opportunities to learn on the job and upskill faster.
JCU Sports and Events Management students learn venue management, crowd behaviour strategies and sports law early on in their degree. The development of this core knowledge will give you the confidence to excel.
When you study Sports and Events Management at JCU, you will also develop skills in assessing and responding to stakeholder needs promptly and within budget. You will become comfortable working with a variety of individuals, from governments to businesses and community groups.
Sporting events of all kinds are central to local, national and international economies and tourism, meaning you will be highly employable in these fast-paced industries. JCU students also appreciate the power of sport to bring communities together and provide a boost in times of stress and struggle.
Within your degree, you’ll benefit from the industry experience of your lecturers, who have the background to assist you in engaging with real-world scenarios. JCU’s partnerships with employers will provide you with ready-built networks to help you find invaluable work experience.
Our Bachelor of Business in Sports and Events Management is flexible and adaptable to suit your needs. You can choose to study on campus, online or a mix of the two. JCU enables you to pursue your sporting and study passions simultaneously, and to make university work for you.
Emily Quinn
Alumni
Bachelor of Business, majoring in Management and Sports and Events Management
“The lecturers at JCU helped shape my degree and my degree shaped my understanding of the industry. I gained so much experience through presenting projects to panels in entrepreneurial classes to creating tourism event campaigns that would drive people to regional Australia. The work experience made a huge difference. I owe my current job and my previous two to glowing references from placements, internships and network connections through JCU.”