Sports and Recreation Management Jobs: A Comprehensive Overview

Sports and recreation management jobs are a critical aspect of keeping your sports facility up and running. Generally, there are a variety of jobs you can take within this field. There are a few important things to consider when looking for these types of jobs. 

Overview

In most facilities, there are two main types of jobs. There are managers, who work under W2. Most instructors are under 1099, as they are usually independent contractors. 

Internships

One of the main issues with sports and recreation management jobs is that there are not a lot of jobs in the field. Experience ends up playing a big role in who gets these positions.

Internships are used quite often to get experience in the field. Some colleges or universities highly recommend or even require internships before graduation. The most common areas for internships are trainings or sports-specific instruction.

Internships can also be good for making connections and meeting potential hires early on. To learn how to build an internship program for your sports facility, read our blog post. 

Seasonality 

Seasonality plays a huge role in what jobs are available, as well. Staff are usually seasonal. During the busy season, you need to have more staff on hand to help with customers than you do during a slow season.

Also, front desk staff are usually limited to evening or weekend jobs – when more people are coming into the facility. To fix this issue, you can combine roles. 

Combining Roles 

An important thing to note is that you can combine roles. For example, a manager can also be an instructor, and an instructor can also work at the front desk.

When I owned DNA Sports Center, I also let my staff combine their roles. Mainly, my manager also did sales. My assistant manager also happened to be an instructor. 

Conclusion

Seasonality, availability, and experience are all important aspects of sports and recreation management jobs. For more advice on how to manage these for your sports facility, book a free consultation with our experts.