How To Become a Sports Director? Qualification, Salary and More

Become a sports director by combining your love for sports into an achievable career path. Anthony Augustine (Asst. Sports Director, Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune) discusses everything about how to become a sports director, from qualifications to salary and much more.

1. Role of a Sports Director

A director of sports management is someone who looks through the ins and outs of the field of sports. Sports director is the one who manages the overall aspects of sports programs, events, seminars etc.

If you are considering sports director as your career path, you must consider the functions and duties that you’ll be responsible for. What does a sports director do?

• Organizing sports events, programs and team
• Director of live sports broadcast
• Supervising the overall activities
• Hiring staff and coach management
• Facilitating operations
• Economic and budget management
• Scheduling, controlling and smooth functioning

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2.     How to Become a Sports Director in India

While deciding the right career path for yourself, it is important to dig deep in the field. When you choose to opt for sports director, here are some ways and preferences that will help you pick the right specialization. You will have to fulfil the below criteria once you get started with the preparations.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to become a sports director.

1. Complete 12^th in any stream (science, arts, commerce): Begin your career with completing the 12^th class in junior college/ high school.
2. At the same time start preparing for entrance exams like CET to crack any specific college of your choice.
3. Bachelor’s degree: After you crack the entrance exam and stream, you can get admission in the college of your choice. Based on your college preference, complete your bachelor’s program like Bachelor of physical education.
4. Choose specialization for master’s degree (optional): Choosing appropriate specialization of your choice is necessary as it is the beginning of your specific career path. You can choose something like Masters in physical education, MBA in sports management, etc.
5. Internships: Start looking for internships in coaching, training etc.

Let’s take a look at the details you need to know.

2.1 Courses Taken: Sports Management Subjects

2.1.1 Courses Taken at School

Taking active interest in any sports activities held in college and giving equal importance to physical education subject, will help take the first step towards becoming a sports director. Science, commerce and arts; all three fields have a scope to enter the field of management in sports direction.

• Sports and exercise
• Physical education

2.1.2 Courses Taken at College: Sports Manager Sports Requirements

• Sports coaching
• Sports psychology
• Sports infrastructure
• Sports law
• Sports technology
• Sports finance and accounts
• Event coordinator
• Marketing professional
• Talent scout
• Sports agent
• Sports public relations manager
• Sports analyst
• Sports merchandising
• Mentor
• Sports consultant
• Sports equipment and apparel
• Sportswear design

2.2 Entrance Exams

CET- common entrance test.

For certification- you ought to be a national player and medallist in any sports. It is also necessary to have 5+ years of experience in coaching. Any bachelor’s degree is required to apply for masters in sports management. Sometimes a teaching certification and coaching experience is also mandatory.

The generally involves filling out an application, paying test fees (around 1-2 thousand), taking a test, receiving your certification (if you pass the test), and then obtaining official contracts from an organization or individual athlete.

2.3 Academic Qualifications/ Options

It is mandatory to have 12+ years of education. A bachelor degree (3-4 years) can work for further entry and admissions. Degrees opted are Bachelor of Physical Education, Masters in Physical Education, MBA in Sports Management, etc.

2.4 License Required

No specific license is required.

2.5 Internship/ Work Experience Required

It is just required to be a national player in any sports to enter the professional field. It’s better to be a professional in any sports, which helps you understand certain aspects of sports. Years of practice in sports makes you skilled for enough understanding.

2.6 Cost of Tuition and Training

It is approximately ₹3.5 lakhs for private sectors and for government it is estimated around 30 thousand per month. In India, approximate tuition ranges from 25 thousand to 50 thousand depending on college.

2.7 Competition and Scope in India for Sports Directors

Average in academics, high in field.

The competition is average or mediocre. For job opportunities, it is solid. There are too many people qualified with less vacancies available. Competition these days have increased in numbers.

2.8 General Age to Start Professional Career for Sports Directors

As a professional sports player you begin around 13 years of age and it is the same for a sport like basketball too. Although there is no necessary age required to fulfil the requirements. However, to become a sports director, you need 3-4 years of college and 5+ years of sports experience.

2.9 Governing Bodies

• Sports minister and association and federation of various sports
• National Association for sports and physical education
• Sports Authority of India
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
• International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)
• The International Cricket Council (ICC)
• International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Athletics Federation of India
• All India Football Federation

3. Professional Opportunities as a Sports Director

There are several opportunities which will open doors once you aspire to become a sports director. These include specializations/ sub-professions, companies, internships, entrepreneurship and many more. As the field is in major demand these days, the professional opportunities have also expanded.

3.1 Specializations/ Sub-Professions

There is a lot of scope if you wish to pursue the field of sports. Sports coaching, sports psychology, sports infrastructure, sports law, sports technology, sports equipment and apparel, sportswear design etc. to choose from.

3.2 Companies & Institutions

There are many opportunities for work in institutions like schools and colleges.

• Franchises like IPL, KPL, BCCI
• Private companies like Gameplan, IMG, etc.
• Sportswear companies like Decathlon, Puma, Nike, Sketchers and many more.
• Institutions like schools and colleges as well as universities.

3.3 Growth Prospects

Sports in India have a lot of potential for growth and progress. The expansion of sports has developed and increased allowing equal amount of employment opportunities.

Growth opportunities depend on qualification, practical experience and PR and communication. There are a lot of growth opportunities in the private sector. With time and progress one can achieve heights in the hierarchy. Around fifty national sports companies/ institutes look for position like sports managers, employing and giving scope to a lot of young talents.

3.4 Entrepreneurship and Part-time Opportunities

There are part-time coaching opportunities available in schools and colleges. We find a lot of scope to take experience as junior officials and technical experts.

There are a lot of opportunities which lie ahead of you in terms of entrepreneurial aspects. These include:

• Sports clubs and academy
• Physiotherapist
• Sport apparel manufacturers
• Sports event management
• Infrastructure development and so on.

3.5 What is the Salary of a Sports Director in India?

As of now, it is ₹12k-15k per month in government schools and colleges. Private firms offer around 25-30k for freshers. With a good master’s degree in hand from abroad colleges, it can sum up to 50- 80k for newly graduates.

4. Further References

Applying and getting selected by right colleges in India or outside India, has a great impact on the professional opportunities you get. The better the institute, the better you are placed in the sports industry.

4.1 Top Universities in India

Some of the top colleges that have sports management as one of their key courses include:

• DYPUSM Mumbai
• ISBR Business School
• LNIPE in Gwalior
• Symbiosis school of Management
• HVP- Amravati is the first college for physical education in Maharashtra
• KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai
• MIT school of Management, Pune
• ISBR Bangalore
• IIM Rohtak
• GD Goenka School of Management, Gurgaon

4.2 Top Universities in World

• Southern New Hampshire University
• EU Business School, Barcelona
• University of Michigan
• Rice University
• Geneva Business School

4.3 Famous Personalities

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in basketball. Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Maradona in football, Zidane and Pep Guardiola as coaches for football.

Michael Edwards and Michael Zorc are amongst the top football directors worldwide. Phil Jackson is a former professional basketball player and now a manager who have won a lot of awards and recognitions for his skills in management.

4.4 Useful Videos and Links

• Kobe Bryant’s video
• Muhammad Ali- boxer inspirational talks and videos
• Arunima Sinha’s journey
• DP Singh who was an Indian soldier and first blade runner of India
• Nilesh Kulkarni talking about sports management
• Career advice on becoming a sports manager
• What is sports management

With right guidance and line of career path, it’s possible to achieve heights as a sports director. Write to us in the comments below and share your suggestions with us.

Read next:

Sports Management Career Path: Scope, Prospects and More
Top Personality Development Courses in India: Offline and Online

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Curated & Edited by Ramani Kulkarni (CareerNuts Staff)

Anthony Augustine, Sports Director

Anthony Augustine is an Assistant Sports Director at Symbiosis International University, Pune. He has 19 years of coaching experience in basketball and 5 years of administrative experience. He has completed his B.A. from HPT
College, Pune and Master’s in Physical Education from CACPE, Pune.

Anthony is a state level qualified official for basketball and a state level gold medalist as a coach for women’s basketball team. His passion for sports helps him to stay fit. Being a sports enthusiast, he loves running, swimming, playing basketball and loves to read a lot. Anthony strives to bring out the best version of a sports player from his mentees.