Sports development officer

As a sports development officer, you'll make sure everybody has the chance to take part in sport and leisure, by ensuring the community is aware of available activities and how they can get involved.

You'll distribute information and organise sport-related projects, classes, programmes, coaching, club development, and training. You'll target those who want to take part for fun, as well as participants who are interested in competing at all levels, from local to national and even international.

The central aim is to increase participation in sport of all kinds, but you'll also address issues of health, crime, and social inclusion, often working with organisations such as:

• charities
• the NHS and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)
• regeneration initiative
• schools
• sport national governing bodies (NGBs).

You could also work in partnership with governing bodies to deliver national sports initiatives.

Sports development officers usually work in one of the following fields:

• generic sports development
• sport-specific posts, such as a netball development officer
• target group-specific, such as women in sport, disability, or community sports.

Responsibilities

As a sports development officer, you'll need to:

• identify sporting, recreation, and health initiatives, as well as oversee strategic planning and implementation
• coordinate, deliver, and promote relevant activities, classes, and events, often within a specific community or to targeted groups
• recruit, train, support, develop, and manage coaches and volunteer staff
• raise public awareness of health and fitness issues and promote participation in sport, particularly among underrepresented groups
• evaluate and monitor activities and projects using performance indicators
• maintain records and produce written reports
• attend local, regional, and national meetings, seminars, and conferences
• check venues and manage facilities
• liaise with clubs to develop coaching and youth development and to help them handle issues, such as safeguarding more effectively
• work in partnership with school initiatives, such as Active Schools, to encourage participation in sport and organise parental involvement
• work with National Governing Bodies (NGBs) for specific sports in relation to clubs and events
• develop a range of partnerships with organisations and initiatives focused on health education, criminal justice, and community regeneration
• manage resources, including budget, and identify potential opportunities for external funding
• maintain links with county, regional, and national sporting representatives and organisations
• work within specific guidelines, e.g. equal opportunities, health and safety, and child protection
• offer coaching and supervision when appropriate.

Responsibilities for a specialised post, such as disability sports development officer, may mean you also:

• educate and train coaches, volunteers and facilities staff in specific aspects surrounding the needs of disabled participants - seeking input from experts in disability awareness where appropriate
• use information and publicity to ensure people with disabilities are more aware of the sporting opportunities available to them
• work in partnership with appropriate organisations to deliver a programme of activities
• organise sport-specific activities and maintain inclusivity.

Salary

• Starting as an assistant sports development officer, you can expect a salary in the region of £21,000 to £25,000, but it can be as low as £19,000.
• Typical starting salaries for sports development officers in the UK are £23,000 to £24,000, rising to £33,000 with experience.
• A sports development manager can earn £40,000 on average, though salaries can go as high as £46,000.

Salaries vary between specialist areas, regions, and types of employers. Set pay structures are in place for local authorities and education. However, small governing bodies or initiatives differ in their salaries.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Sports development officers usually work a standard 9am to 5pm. However, a willingness to work flexible, unsocial hours, including weekends and school holidays, is essential. Hours can include evening meetings and occasional absences from home.

What to expect

• Work often involves spending periods of time outdoors in all weathers, overseeing the smooth running of activities you've organised. However, you may also be spending much of your time indoors carrying out administrative tasks.
• The industry often operates using temporary contracts, which can lead to job insecurity.
• The workload can be heavy and stressful due to the need for accountability when managing a budget and writing bids to attract external funding.
• The dress code is usually formal for meetings, but informal the rest of the time. Specific roles may require you to wear the sports kit of the club or organisation.
• Local travel within a working day to visit venues, attend events, and meet with community groups is common. Many posts include a car allowance.
• Absence from home overnight is occasional. Overseas work or travel is unlikely.
• As many events and meetings are partly organised by volunteers and community groups, these will often be held in the evening and at weekends, so you'll need to be flexible.
• Participation in sport and coaching is encouraged and often supported. For sport-specific posts, such as a football development officer, a playing history in that discipline will often be a pre-requisite.

Qualifications

While there isn't one specific qualification required to become a sports development officer, the following subjects may increase your chances:

• health and exercise sciences
• leisure studies
• physical education
• recreation or leisure management
• sport development or management
• sport in the community
• sports science or sports studies.

Entry without a degree or HND is possible. In this case, coaching qualifications and related work experience are likely to increase your chances.

Some universities have embedded the skills required within their degree courses; look out for the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA) logo, which confirms this in their marketing and advertising material.

A postgraduate qualification is not required for entry, although some sports development officers do hold such qualifications. Search for postgraduate courses in sports development.

Employers usually request an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check as part of their conditions of service. In Scotland this is provided by mygov.scot and in Northern Ireland by Access NI.

Skills

You will need to show:

• excellent leadership ability
• initiative, self-motivation and the ability to motivate others
• the ability to make decisions under pressure
• excellent communication skills, both written and oral, to communicate effectively with all sections of the community
• the ability to work with other individuals in a group setting
• project-management skills and the ability to manage people, including groups of volunteers
• the capacity to work independently
• negotiation skills and political awareness of current sports issues
• excellent organisation, administration, and IT skills
• enthusiasm for sport and an in-depth knowledge of a particular sport or a range of sporting activities
• the ability to build good working relationships with client groups and partner bodies, as well as being able to work in a team.

Work experience

Pre-entry work experience in community, sport, school, or voluntary organisations is essential. Coaching experience is also highly desirable. This can be gained through working or volunteering for local authorities or sport NGBs and clubs.

Try to gain as much experience as you can through voluntary or paid work in coaching and organising activities or holiday programmes. Building up experience in one sport is helpful, though a multi-sport approach is ideal.

Competition for jobs can be tough. Networking and making contacts within the sports development sector through work experience will improve your chances of success.

As a student, you can apply for CIMSPA membership, which will help to build your network, as well as find job opportunities and further training.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Continued expansion of sports programmes has led to an increase in sports development managers in a range of settings. As such, you can find work within a variety of organisations.

Local authorities are the main employer, often having assistant, officer, and management roles in generic, community, and specialist posts. Many positions are initially on a contract basis and may be funded partly by external bodies. Some of these are through leisure facility contracts or linked with public health departments.

Some higher education institutions employ sports development officers in order to maintain and increase student and community involvement.

Sports councils and NGBs are other major recruiters.

Look for job vacancies at:

• British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Jobs
• CIMSPA careers hub
• Leisure Management
• Local Government Jobs
• myjobscotland

Many vacancies are advertised through online job sites. Most local authorities, sporting organisations, and governing bodies will advertise in the national and regional press, but it's worth checking their individual vacancy pages online.

Professional development

Training may be given on the job, but there are also many external training courses you can take that relate to the sports development sector. Search for courses on PD:Portal.

A range of training courses are endorsed by CIMSPA in areas such as fitness management and health and safety. You may also consider becoming a CIMPSA member as it can help towards your professional development and provide networking opportunities.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is also important. To maintain your professional status and membership, CIMPSA requires evidence of either endorsed or non-endorsed CPD activities (10 points per year).

As a member, you may also want to apply for chartered manager status. This shows employers that you've reached a certain professional level and that you meet sector standards in terms of qualifications, experience, and expertise.

Workshops and courses are run through UK Coaching in relevant areas such as safeguarding issues and mentoring sports coaches.

Knowledge and competence in other areas is becoming increasingly important and you may be interested in taking an additional course in:

• finance
• human resource management
• marketing.

Those working within local authorities and higher education can take advantage of any available in-house training.

Career prospects

If you're working in a generic post, you can follow a route into management, then departments, or into promoted partnership or sport-specific posts, which are often within a local authority structure.

Sport-specific development officers can progress into management posts or policy and strategy-based jobs through local authorities, sport NGBs, or organisations such as Sport England.

You could opt to become a sport and leisure contractor or move into the management of health and fitness programmes.

Other options for career development include community-related posts within local authorities, regeneration projects, active schools, or health education projects.

Once in a large organisation, progression through management can involve taking on a more diverse remit, such as culture and sport.