What Is Sports Management?

Sport management is a field of education concerning the business aspects of sports and recreation. Some
examples of sport managers include the front office system in professional sports, college sports
managers, recreational sport managers, sports marketing, event management, facility management,
sports economics, sport finance, and sports information.

Overview of Sports Management

Sports management is a broad and highly competitive field that incorporates aspects of many different
areas, such as business, marketing and accounting. Public interest in health, fitness and spectator sports
has also increased over the years, making sports management a multibillion-dollar industry with a variety
of job opportunities for those with experience and education. Those who work in sports management
may find themselves performing various functions, such as working with the finances of an athletic
organization or creating marketing strategies. Professionals in sports management might work on
international sporting events or local, amateur ones. Other areas in sports management include college
or recreational sports management or sports economics.

Education

Many colleges and universities offer bachelors and master's degrees in sport management. A number of
classes outside of sport management may be relevant to the field, including classes in management,
marketing, business administration, and accounting. Internships may also open opportunities within the
field.

Committees, roles and meetings

Committees and your club's management team
Generally, a committee is a small group of people formed with the intention of making decisions about
issues or taking action on tasks. A club's main committee will be the management team.
Your club may also have a number of different sub-committees who are in charge of specific events like
fundraisers or tournaments, health and safety, day-to-day management, fundraising etc. A sub-
committee is usually answerable to the overall management of the organization.
Committee members have set roles and jobs to complete. The roles of people on your committee or
management team could be:
 president/chairperson
 secretary
 treasurer
  team manager
 marketing and promotions officer
 health and safety officer
 volunteer coordinator.
Job descriptions (sometimes known as position or role descriptions) should be simple and straightforward.
Tailor them to meet your club's needs and make sure they are encouraging – not daunting.
Here's a basic guide to what they should include:
 the benefits for the volunteers such as companionship, warmth, new skills
 a title that's clear and simple and identifies the role
 the importance of the role to the organisation
 primary objective – try to make them specific and achievable
 key tasks – be clear but not over-detailed
 skills or qualifications required – those that are needed for the role
 police check/references required
 for and to whom the role is responsible and other relationships
 reporting procedures and record keeping required
 limits and extent of authority
 time commitment required (hours and length of commitment)
 location of organisation
 flexibility to encourage the volunteers' initiative and creativity
 what resources and support will be available – training, travel expenses, parking, equipment,
supervision (internal and external)
 Opportunities for the person to influence the direction of the organization.
The more details, the better chance there is of recruiting someone suitable. Think about whether you'd
want to apply. Are the expectations realistic? Put the date on it – so you can identify different versions.
Keep it simple and preferably on one page, accompanied by basic information about your club.
Committees can be a lot of fun and are a great way of ensuring everyone is involved and able to make a
contribution to your club. Don't forget that committee meetings can also be good social events!
Remember to allow some social time, separate from the main meeting agenda.
How to run a meeting
Along with deciding on your club's structure and putting together your management team (as above),
you'll need to create a plan for the type of meetings your club needs and decide on who will run these.
Within a club there are several different types of meeting that may be required. Some are informal, others
are more formal such as an annual general meeting (AGM). The AGM is held annually, usually when
financial reporting and annual report is made.
A good meeting will ensure everyone has the information they require, understands the outcomes, and
knows what they need to contribute to achieve these.
Any meeting will need someone to be in charge or ‘chair’ it and another person to write down the minutes
(the written record of a meeting). The minutes often give an overview of the structure of the meeting,
starting with a list of those present, a list of the various issues discussed, and any responses/decisions that
are made.
Informal meetings should still be managed, but they also encourage members to relax and join in. You
might hold an informal meeting to:
 discuss new ideas
 solve problems
 gather opinions
 ensure everyone is still feeling enthusiastic about the club
 brainstorm ideas for fundraising or sponsorship.
Tips to running a good meeting
 Establish the purpose and desired outcomes of the meeting.
 Check that everyone understands the topics to be discussed. Distribute an agenda (list of points
to discuss usually distributed before the actual meeting) prior to the meeting if necessary.
 Ensure everyone listens to each other carefully.
 Ensure only one person speaks at a time.
 Encourage everyone to be objective and keep discussion focused on the topic.
 Examine each option individually and objectively and reaching a conclusion for that option.
Formal meetings such as the AGM are usually a reporting meeting for the club. This means that your club's
aims, activities and finances are reported on at the meeting. They are usually held annually and they are
open to anyone directly involved with the club. It is also when key roles like the chairperson are decided
upon.
These meetings are based around an agenda which is similar to a programme or list of points to discuss.
The club's secretary and treasurer usually prepare the agenda and send it out to everyone who will attend
the meeting. There are many types of agenda – but by keeping it simple you’ll be able to run a
straightforward and effective meeting. Your club's chairperson will run the meeting and make sure that
the agenda is used.
Here's an example of a straightforward agenda for an AGM:
1. Welcome by the chairperson – this starts the meeting off.
2. Apologies – from people who can’t get to the meeting.
 3. Confirmation of minutes of the previous AGM – a summary of what was discussed.
4. Correspondence – important letters, email and faxes to and from your club.
5. Chairperson’s report – usually an overview of the activities and aims of the club.
6. Treasurer's report – usually an overview of the financial activities and the club’s current finances.
7. Notice of any new management committee members.
8. General business – anything that hasn’t been covered by the chairperson or treasurer.
9. Guest speaker – this is optional but sometimes a guest speaker can provide new ideas or
inspiration for your club.
10. Confirming the date of the next meeting.
11. Close of meeting – serving refreshments at this stage can be a great way to thank everyone for
Developing school sport in your local authority
Research and audit
When embarking on the development of school sport in your local authority it is advisable to carry out an
audit process as a first priority. A comprehensive audit will allow you to establish current school sport
opportunities, if there are any gaps in provision and identify issues or challenges that may cause a barrier
to participation.
Who?
When deciding who to include as part of your audit it is useful to consider any individuals, structures or
organisations within your local authority that may have an involvement or impact on the development of
school sport. These may include:
 Physical education staff
 Other school sport delivers
 Active Schools coordinators
 Sports Development officers
 School Sport associations
 Regional managers for individual sports / Governing Bodies

It would also be beneficial to identify what roles and responsibilities these individuals or organisations
currently have within school sport.
What?
When planning appropriate questions to include within an audit you must first consider what information
would be most useful to capture and have a clear understanding of your aim and chosen methodology.
The following areas may be useful to explore with individuals or organisations working on a school level:

 What extra-curricular opportunities are offered across each school?

 Who is the contact for each extra-curricular sport across each school?
 When do extra-curricular sessions take place and who are they for?
 What school sport opportunities already exist (leagues, events, friendly structures)
  Which schools take part in any existing school sport opportunities?
 What are the issues and barriers for competitive school sport?
 How might any issues or barriers be addressed?
 What venues are used for competitions?
 Is school sport focused on participation or performance?

If auditing organisations such as School Sport Associations or Governing Bodies, you may wish to include
the following topics:

 Name of organisation and contact details

 Whether they are a formal or ad hoc organisation?
 Aim and functions
 Funding providers and budget
 How many schools are affiliated to the organisation and what is the associated cost?
 Cost associated with the coordination of their sport
 Names and positions of committee members if appropriate
 Competitions, events and structures including divisions by gender and age group
 Links with relevant partners
 What support is available to them?
 Estimated numbers of young people taking part in competitive structures
 Issues, challenges and barriers
 What pathways are in place for local, regional and national competition?
 What venues are used for competition?

Once audits have been completed and returned it is beneficial to measure the response rate of each
cohort. This will establish whether the information provided is representative across the local authority.
All the information captured can be collated to establish opportunities for development and mechanisms
of support required. From your audit report a list of recommendations can be produced and an action
plan agreed with roles and responsibilities for all key partners.
Organizational and planning structures
When planning the development of school sport it is beneficial to engage with existing groups or
organisations who work within school sport locally. If these do not exist, new groups can be created in
order to provide support, guidance and approval for developments moving forward.
Establishing new groups
Groups can be comprised of different representatives, examples of which are provided below. It is crucial
to consider the purpose behind inviting each individual onto the group and what their role or
responsibilities might involve.
 Physical education staff
 Other school sport delivers
 Active Schools coordinators
 Sports Development officers
 Regional managers for individual sports
 Club representatives
Examples of School Sport Planning Structures
A planning structure that has been successfully implemented in some local authorities is presented below.
This is a two tiered structure with a central School Sport Planning Group supported by several sport
specific sub groups.

School Sport
Planning
Group

Rugby Hockey
Netball Group
Group Group

Membership in each of these groups will be influenced by local infrastructure furthermore; the roles
and responsibilities of groups may be governed by local needs identified as part of the audit process.

School Sport Planning Group – Central Group

Suggested members Suggested roles & responsibilities
 PE representative from each local  To agree school sport calendars
authority school  To provide guidance and / or approval
 Active Schools Manager for school sport developments
 School Sport Lead for LA  To apply for funding - if meeting funding
 PE Officer / Improvement Officer eligibility requirements such as having a
 Sports Development Officers constitution.
 To identify any issues and barriers to
school sport and suggest solutions.
 To approve governing documents and
policies such as codes of conduct or
disciplinary procedures.
Sport Specific Sub Groups
Suggested members Suggested roles & responsibilities
 PE or other school staff lead for that  To agree competitive structures and
sport formats
  School Sport Lead for LA  Agree dates for competitions as
 Regional Manager for that sport appropriate
 Club representatives  To develop pathways from PE – School
Sport – Club Sport.
 Identify need for staff / volunteer CPD,
senior pupil training or player
development workshops.
 Discuss regional or national
opportunities such as trials,
performance pathways and
competitions.

Working with existing school sport organisations

If you have existing organisations within your local authority such as School Sport Associations, it is
beneficial to attend meetings (particularly AGM’s) and have discussions with key members. This will allow
you to establish appropriate methods of support and effective partnership working. If working with a
variety of partners you may wish to produce a framework that identifies the roles and responsibilities of
each individual or organisation.
Competiton structures & formats
Once information has been gathered from the audit process it is beneficial to establish a group, or work
with an existing group, to agree appropriate structures for new competitive school sport developments.
In the instance of creating new school sport events it may be useful to cover the following areas at
meetings:

 When is a suitable time of year to have a new event?

 What times would be suitable for schools?
 What would the level of interest be?
 What age groups and gender are you targeting?
 What facilities could be used that meet your requirements?
 What equipment do you require?
 What rules should be adopted?
 Do you require helpers / volunteers?
 Is there a financial implication?
 How will this competitive opportunity link to regional or national pathways (i.e. Scottish School
Sports Association / National Governing Body programmes)

In the case of developing league structures the above should be also be considered, in addition to the
competition structure that is being utilised. There are both advantages and disadvantages to each
structure.

 Home and Away League – each team plays their competitors at home and away. This results in
equal “home advantage” but increases the cost of travel as each team plays each other twice.
 Home or Away League – each team is drawn to play each other but this could be at home or away.
This reduces the number of fixtures and therefore the travel cost, but careful consideration should
be made to ensuring travel distances are as fair as possible when allocating venues.
  Central Venue League – all teams play at the same venue and normally on a consistent evening
and time. This reduces organisational burden to schools if all fixtures are planned for the year.
However some schools may consistently have the most travel time and expense to attend the
venue. This structure is most suitable for a non-school venue so there is no facility burden for an
individual school.
 Rotating Central Venue League – this allows all school teams to come together but within
different venues throughout the year. This will make travel more equal but consideration should
be paid to distributing the venues fairly and consistently. Consideration should also be made to
how many school venues have the facilities required to allow rotation of the league.

A variety of resources are required when planning and organizing a school sport event / league. These
include:
 Entry forms
 Information sheets
 Fixture lists
 Rules Sheets
 Scoresheets
 Risk Assessments

Promotion
There are various methods to promote school sport within your local authority. It is beneficial to collate a
calendar of events which includes local, regional and national events (as appropriate). When distributed
to all schools and partners it provides a useful resource and a method of promoting opportunities. Other
promotional tools you may wish to consider include:
 Newsletters
 Email & email alerts
 Press releases
 Websites – you may wish to explore whether your local authority offers website training courses
and if there are guidelines in place for the establishment of new sites.
 Social Media – please explore your local authorities’ policies and procedures on the use of social
media.