Sport and Leisure
There has never been a better time to have a career within the sport and leisure industry. With Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Scotland hosting the Ryder cup in golf in the same year, sport is very high profile in Scotland at the moment.
The sports and leisure sector also makes a substantial contribution to the Scottish economy, with employment growth forecast to continue to perform better than the whole Scottish economy.- There are about 52,100 people employed in the various aspects of the active leisure, learning and wellbeing sector in Scotland. About 76% of these work in sport and recreation.
- 97% of workers in the industry work in organisations of 10 or less employees.
- 41% of the sector’s employees work full time, and 45% part time.
- 61% of leisure centres are publicly funded, the rest privately owned and commercially run.
Factors which contribute to this growth include:- increasing medical referrals to health and fitness providers due to underlying health issues in the Scottish population – like obesity, heart conditions and diabetes
- increasing awareness of the importance of an active lifestyle
- increasing numbers of over 55s with time, and money, to spend in leisure pursuits.
The jobs have been split into 5 sectors, only one of which deals with jobs where you actually play sport for a living.
The 5 sectors are:
- Sports and recreation – coaching, teaching outdoor activities or health and fitness
- Sports or leisure management – running sports and leisure centres
- Sports performance – being a paid professional sportsperson
- Sports science – improving performance and preventing injuries
- Leisure – jobs in recreational centres such as bingo halls or fairgrounds.
There are about 146,000 volunteers in Scottish sport, with around 1% helping in recreational opportunities. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will require around 15,000 games volunteers.
As participation in sport increases and performance improves in response to government strategy, there is likely to be increased demand for sports therapists to treat injuries and growing opportunities for sports development officers, sports psychologists and sports scientists.
Footballers continue to outnumber other professional sportsmen and women. The thing to remember about professional sport is that it can be a short career. After about 30-35, most sportsmen and women do other jobs – sometimes they go into coaching or managing the sport they played.
To be a professional sportsperson you must be dedicated, determined and willing to persevere.
To do well in other sport and recreational jobs you should be:- enthusiastic and able to encourage anyone you might be coaching
- responsible and aware of safety.
For many jobs in this career area you do not need academic qualifications. But you do need outstanding ability in sport. Getting a sports performance job can depend on being in the right place to be ‘spotted ’ by scouts or other influential people.
There are also jobs in the other 4 sectors for which you do not need qualifications. However in some jobs you can take Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) while you are working. You may even be able to get in through a Modern Apprenticeship.
Sometimes it helps if you have a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) or a degree in a sports subject. However for some jobs particularly within the fitness industry, employers might prefer you to have industry led qualifications such as those offered by the Young Mens's Christian Association (YMCA) or other relevant bodies.
There are more courses in sport at all levels now, from National Certificate (NC), through HNC and HND to degrees. You just have to make sure you have the appropriate skills or qualifications for the sector you want to go into.
Sources
sportscotland website ( www.sportscotland.org.uk)
Sport and Leisure: Overview (AGCAS)( www.prospects.ac.uk)
Active Leisure, Learning and Wellbeing Scotland – a Sector Skills Assessment prepared by SkillsActive (July 2011)
<< back to list of career areas and sectors