Explore career options in sport development
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a sport development degree may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
A degree in sport development provides graduates with a strong foundation in sport science, physical activity, health promotion and psychological science and their application to current and developing models required for careers in the exercise, sport, fitness and health industries. Graduates of this program will be skilled in health and physical activity promotion; community engagement; athlete development; exercise programming; planning and management of sporting facilities; event management; sport marketing and media relations; project management; and, sport policy development.
Career fields
- Sport organisations or teams
- Sport institutes or associations
- Health promotion
- Sport coaching
- Sport events management
- Strength and conditioning
- Sport facilities management
- Sport governing bodies
- Sport tourism organisations
- Sport broadcasting and journalism
- Sport communications
- Fitness centres
- Health clubs
- Schools - public and private
- Rehabilitation services
- Defence Forces
- Sport equipment companies
Employment roles
- Sport coordinator
- Sport development manager
- Sport and operations manager
- Sport salesperson
- Sport coach
- Sport and recreation worker
- Events coordinator
- Duty manager / club manager
- Quality assurance officer
- Health and lifestyle coordinator
- Manager – sport academy
- Teacher – sport and fitness*
- Athlete talent identification
- Competitions coordinator
- Program facilitator
- Sport operations manager
- Community engagement manager
(* denotes further study at postgraduate level likely to be required)
Occupation snapshot
Employed
1,100
Future demand
Very strong
Weekly earnings
$1,015
Part-time share
30%
This data is based on the occupation profile for sport development officers retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website and YourCareer websites July 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- GradConnection
- Grad Australia
- Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission careers
- Department of Home Affairs careers
- Australian Federal Police vacancies
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Brisbane City Council vacancies
- Queensland Courts
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Queensland Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Queensland Police careers
- Seek
- Australian Defence Force recruitment
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Sports People Personnel Consultants (recruitment agency specialising in sport, leisure, fitness and aquatics jobs in Australia and overseas)
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Sport Management Association of Australia & New Zealand
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Exercise and Sport Science Australia
- Australian Amusement Leisure & Recreation Association
- Australian Council for Health, Physical Education & Recreation
- Club Manager’s Association of Australia
- Parks & Leisure Australia
- Venue Management Association
- Australian Institute of Digital Health
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.