Sports and activity development officer — Grace Alleyne

Inspired by her parents who both worked in sports roles in the public sector, Grace loves working in communities to get people engaged in sport and physical activity

What degree did you study?

I graduated with a BA Sports and Social Science from the University of Bath. This was a four-year course, which included a placement year. I was lucky enough to get a placement at Harbour Sports in New Zealand, which is a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of encouraging people who were inactive to become more active.

How did you get your job?

I'd been looking for a sports role and saw the vacancy on the Charity Jobs website. I had three interviews, initially on the phone, then a zoom interview, which was followed by a face-to face-interview with two of the managers. This included a presentation on designing a sports development activity programme.

What's a typical working day like?

I lead on projects such as the Community Swim Programme, School Athletics Championships and the London Youth Games. I oversee them, speak to parents to encourage participation, book venues, manage teachers and am responsible for the budget.

I supervise the trials and training process and then take the selected team to competitions. Through the swim programme I have also become a qualified swim teacher, supported through Enable.

I am also responsible for the Furzedown Youth Café - a local youth club set up by Enable to reduce low level crime and provide a space for young people to meet and take part in activities such as football and boxing. The café is open after school and the teenagers are encouraged to maintain and look after the space.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The best part of my job is seeing the difference you make in the local community. All of the projects I work on have a real impact and by creating and delivering these services you get to see things happen and the impact that has on people's lives.

What are the challenges?

Dealing with people with different expectations. This can be parents, children, coaches and teachers. Making sure you meet your deadlines and having to constantly chase people for information is hard and you have to be consistent and organised.

It's also challenging to get engagement with the projects - with schools and also children. What works really well, and is so important in this role, is seeing what some of the barriers are and then building relationships with people and coming up with solutions to overcome them.

In what way is your degree relevant?

My degree has been very relevant and helped in lots of ways. Some of the modules in particular, such as sports and programme strategy, which looked in detail at Sports England meant that this theory can be put in to place in my current role. 

My dissertation 'Exploring Experiences of Racism in Sport at the University of Bath' has also been really useful - including analysing inclusivity and what stops people taking part in sports initiatives.

How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions?

The role has developed through taking on more projects and coming up with strategies to deliver them.

In the future, our team is likely to increase so I’d like to develop my skills and take on more management responsibility.

What advice can you give to others wanting to get into this job?

• Get work experience in sports settings and local programmes such as swim teaching and coaching.
• Be consistent and resilient and work on developing people skills and empathy.
• Gain communication skills as it's really important to be able to engage with people and be a good communicator.
• Do a placement year. When I was interviewed for this role, my manager asked about this straight away. Working during my placement taught me real world skills and helped me complete my course when I returned to my final year.   

Find out more

• Read all about being a sports development officer.
• Take a look at the leisure, sport and tourism sector.