The ultimate guide for graduates on choosing your ideal career in the sports events industry.
We all enjoy going to watch large sporting events. We get in, grab a drink, find our seat and then watch the action unfold. But did you know there will be a team of hundreds behind the scenes making sure the event is staffed – from security to ticketing, and from catering to cleaners. Below are just some of the jobs on offer in the sports events industry…
Event coordinator
Every large event at a stadium or arena has an army of personnel behind the scenes that ensures it goes off without a hitch. Whether it’s crowd control, catering organisation or safety and security, an event coordinator plays a vital role in the successful delivery of a major event. UCFB graduate works for The Football Association in the events team at Wembley Stadium and no day is the same. He will be involved with global projects as diverse as conferences and banqueting events to large scale music concerts and festivals, football games including The FA Cup Final and other sporting occasions such as the annual NFL International Series.
Stadium manager
Whether hosting 500 people for a corporate function, coordinating a stadium gig for 100,000 people, or dealing with 70,000 football fans, the life of a stadium manager is never dull. Modern day stadia are a 365-day a year operation – and you’re in charge of what goes on. if it’s a major sporting event it’s a guarantee it will be televised, so the eyes on a nation – and maybe the world – will be on your arena. To be a success in this role you’ll be a great communicator and have perfect knowledge of every corridor and exit in the building. In this job you have the opportunity to set the standard for worldwide sports and entertainment.
Catering manager
You’ve got 70,000 people in the stadium… they need to eat and drink, right? Pie and Bovril will no longer do. Stadiums now resemble a street food market – Asian cuisine and pizza now mix with gourmet burgers and halloumi wraps. Craft beer and cider now sit alongside coffee and Coke. Stock needs to be high and queues need to move quickly. As the catering manager, you’re responsible for ensuring the food and drink on offer is of good quality, competitively priced and firs the need of the customer. You’ll be good with spreadsheets and comfortable managing large, busy teams. In modern sports arenas, the catering is part of the draw for fans.
Event agency director
Events are now a huge part of a club, or brands, selling technique and events agencies are paid big sums to deliver the goods. Working at an agency, you’ll find yourself organising catering conferences at venues like Wembley Stadium one week, and awards ceremonies at Lord's cricket ground the next. You’ll be full of ideas, have great time management and we superbly organised. Being good with numbers is a must and being conversational and good with people goes without saying.
Head of ticketing
Now more than ever major sporting events are the place to be. Whether it’s the Olympics, World Cup or Champions League final, if you’ve got a ticket you’re one of the lucky ones. The head of ticketing will oversee the whole ticketing operation – from box office to season tickets to corporate hospitality. As well as working with their team to ensure tickets get into the hands of real fans and not touts through various schemes, the head of ticketing will also work closely with the marketing team to maximise sales and ensure each event is a sold-out success.
