Explore career options in sport management
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a sport management program may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Imagine turning your passion into a fulfilling and exciting career. Graduates of this program will be skilled in the planning and management of sporting facilities, event management, athlete management, sports marketing and media relations, sports tourism management, project management and sports policy development.
Sport is a central feature of Australian (and global) lifestyle, and if you're keen to help organise, manage and promote this industry, studying sport management is the ideal option for you. With a degree from Griffith, you'll develop specialist knowledge of the sport industry combined with solid business skills to enable you to manage professional and not-for-profit sport organisations, athletes, sporting events and more.
With the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics on the horizon, there has never been a better time to become a sport business professional.
Career fields
- Sports organisations or teams
- Sports institutes or associations
- Health and fitness centres
- Sports events management
- Sports facilities management
- Governing bodies
- Broadcasters and media
- Sport sponsorship
- Local, state and national government
- Sport and recreation departments
- Anti-doping and integrity agencies
- Sports tourism organisations
- Sports apparel, equipment and brands
- Sports merchandisers
- Defence forces
- Community development agencies
Employment roles
- Sports and operations coordinator
- Membership coordinator
- Events coordinator
- Sport development officer or manager
- Marketing manager
- Athlete agent
- Commercial executive
- Sponsorship manager
- Participation officer
- Welfare manager
- Integrity officer
- Sales and marketing
- Venue manager
- Day activity coordinator
- Golf operations manager
- Team performance manager
- Outreach program manager
- Sports salesperson
- Sport and recreation worker
- Duty manager
- Club manager
- Sport competition manager
- Quality assurance officer
- Health and lifestyle coordinator
- Sports team leader
Occupation snapshot
Employed
2,900
Future demand
Strong
Weekly earnings
$1,052
Part-time share
25%
This data is based on the occupation profile for sports administrators, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia and Your Career 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
- SportsPeople
- SportsGrad
- Department of Home Affairs careers
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Brisbane City Council vacancies
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Queensland Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- SportsPeople Personnel Consultants
- Sports Recruitment International
- Seek sport and recreation jobs
Notable alumnus: Fiona Sessarago
Fiona Sessarago has made significant contributions to women’s football. In 2018, she became the first Head of Women’s Football at the Gold Coast Suns and in 2019, she brought together all 30 female recruits for the 2020 AFLW season. Her dedication to the sport and community work has earned her recognition, including a nomination for the Gold Coast Woman of the Year award.
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:
- Australian Sports Professionals Association (ASPA)
- Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ)
- North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)
- European Association for Sport Management (EASM)
- Australian Amusement Leisure and Recreation Association
- Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation
- Club Manager’s Association of Australia
- Exercise and Sport Science Australia
- Parks and Leisure Australia
- Venue Management Association
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 with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to fostering quality education and a more equitable and just society, where everyone has a chance to thrive while fostering partnerships for the goals.
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.