Sports Coordinator: Job, Salary, Skills, Resources
Sporting events and tournaments play a major part in generating income not just for sports organizations and clubs but also for local hotels, restaurants, and airports near the event. These events also affect other industries, such as the hospitality industry.
While attending a sporting event, such as a basketball or volleyball tournament, can be exciting and fun, there is a lot of hard work that must be done behind the scenes.
This includes event planning, marketing, and coordination. This is where a sports coordinator or event planner comes into the picture.
If you are in the sports management industry, you may be interested in increasing your salary and improving your job outlook.
Are you looking to demonstrate that you are the most talented and qualified candidate for sports coordinator jobs or positions?
While continuing to accumulate experience working as a sports coordinator could be your best shot, there are many other ways to develop your skills, such as continuing education, getting a bachelor's degree, or benefiting from volunteer opportunities.
You can get more prepared for your next promotion or a job opportunity in sports management by educating yourself about the responsibilities, duties, and required skills and talents of a sports coordinator and ensuring that your resume reflects your experience and credentials properly.
Sports coordinators and planners have the hefty job of planning every detail, such as training and scheduling, which goes into preparing the team and sports facility for game day.
What is a sports coordinator?
Sports programs and tournaments require considerable logistical coordination and planning, whether they happen at public high schools, elite universities, or even nonprofit programs.
A sports coordinator and event coordinator is responsible for managing logistics for sports teams and professionals that make up an athletic program.
As a sports coordinator, your duties and responsibilities can include making match arrangements, maintaining equipment, team travel, social media management, and developing new programs.
Many sports coordinators' jobs also require you to leverage your people skills, such as communication and negotiation skills, when recruiting new players or interacting with athletes.
To ensure a successful and safe event, rules must be followed, games have to be scheduled, and practice fields have to be shared.
At many sports organizations and programs, it is the duty of the sports coordinator to handle and manage the administrative aspect of this work.
From college soccer and baseball games and professional tennis matches to the Olympics and the Super Bowl, sport event planners, and sports coordinators work at every level in order to prepare for these exciting and competitive events.
As a sports coordinator, you have to make sure that the sporting event or intramural sports tournament goes as planned without a hitch and keeps television audiences and spectators engaged.
As an athletic coordinator or sports administrator, your responsibilities include directing athletic programs and intramural sports activities, usually for physical education and youth sports in schools.
Keep in mind that there are also many sports coordinator jobs and positions with adult athletic leagues in universities, colleges, and sports clubs.
What does a sports coordinator do?
Sports coordinators and event planners are responsible for arranging and taking care of every detail involved in preparing for a sports event.
Event planners coordinate with sports teams of varying sizes in order to ensure that every aspect of the sporting event or tournament is under control.
A sports coordinator is involved in preparing lodging for the sports team, distributing team news to the conventional media and social media, purchasing transportation, maintaining the security of players and spectators, and creating emergency contingency plans.
You have to maintain service quality and implement new programs for your team or organization while continuously researching financial resources, policy changes, and eligibility requirements to help develop new services.
Other duties include inspecting sports facilities, setting concession items, marketing ticket sales, and delegating preparation tasks and duties to other workers.
A diverse role with a range of responsibilities
A sports coordinator or event coordinator usually has a broad range of duties and responsibilities, which often include:
Recruiting and hiring new players , including identifying potential recruits, and contacting them to convince them to join the sports team
Scheduling practice sessions, games, and other events as per the league rules and guidelines
Training, mentoring, and supervising team members to enhance their athletic skills and improve their knowledge
Coordinating or assisting with team and community service activities pertaining to the program
Directing the purchase and maintenance of all sports equipment and apparel
Helping coaches with drills creation, practice planning, and other activities and tasks related to coaching a sports team
Maintaining accurate and timely records of attendance, player statistics, and scores
Marketing their team and its events via social media platforms, community involvement programs, and other methods of outreach
Evaluating and enhancing existing programs and recommending changes
Selling advertising space in relevant publications like program books and scorecards for games
Read our related article where we explore a career as a sports director. Learn what it takes to get started on this career path!
What skills do sports coordinators need?
To be successful and effective as a sports coordinator, you should have superior interpersonal and communication skills to constantly communicate preparation instructions and motivate workers and support staff to stick to a tight schedule.
Also, keep in mind that sporting events and tournaments are complex with several moving parts and dynamics, so organizational skills are also essential.
Sports coordinators must have the following skills to be successful in their careers:
1. Leadership
Leadership skills are valuable and help sports coordinators when it comes to organizing and planning team activities.
You can leverage your leadership skills to motivate your team members, encouraging and persuading them to work together to attain their goals.
2. Problem-solving
Event planners and sports coordinators must have solid problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to devise creative and unique solutions when emergency strikes.
Problem-solving skills can help a sports coordinator identify potential challenges and then develop unique solutions to overcome them.
3. Communication
Communication is another crucial skill for sports coordinators. You will often have to communicate with coaches, team members, parents, and other stakeholders in order to ensure that everybody is on the same page.
4. Negotiation skills
Sports coordinators and planners should have excellent negotiation skills for deciding on beneficial contractors and fetching the best prices for clients.
In the fast-paced and dynamic sports business environment, sports coordinators must also have the composure to stay calm and relaxed when under pressure.
Project management skills are also desirable.
5. Organization
Organization skills are essential and can help sports coordinators and event planners succeed in their careers.
This is usually because they have several tasks to complete in a short time.
What are the steps to becoming a sports coordinator?
Step 1. Degree and education requirements
Before you can apply for sports coordinator jobs, you will likely need a bachelor's degree—at least—from an accredited 4-year higher learning institution.
Keep in mind that most aspiring sporting event planners and coordinators major in athletic administration or sports management to focus their skill sets and talents in the spectator sports industry.
However, sports coordinators and event planners can also create a successful and profitable niche in sports with a degree in public relations, marketing, communications, and business administration.
Step 2. Training and experience
Sports coordinators and planners typically receive on-the-job training, including learning the organization's rules, policies, and procedures and the roles and responsibilities of the position.
As a sports coordinator, you may also receive training in the sport you specialize in, such as soccer or tennis.
What is the salary for a sports coordinator?
The average sports coordinator salary
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the 77,940 event planners and sports coordinators working in the US earn an average salary (yearly) of $50,910.
This is equivalent to a mean hourly wage of about $24.5.
Entry-level positions in the industry start at $29,702 per year, whereas most experienced workers make as much as $53,904 per year.
Although a sports coordinator or planner can average a salary of about $42,500 per year, similar to a Sports Team Manager salary, there are many fantastic opportunities for sports coordinators to earn a higher salary.
For example, the highest salary for a sports coordinator job in the US is more than $65,129 per year.
The average salary also depends on the sports leagues and locations. For example, in San Francisco or San Bruno, CA, you may make $84,210 a year.
Other high-paying job locations include Scottsdale, AZ, Eugene, OR, and Starkville, MS.
Sports coordinators' salaries also vary depending on their years of experience, level of education, and the type of sports leagues or teams they manage.
Read More: How much does a sports manager make? See what you can expect from a job as a Sports Manager!
What is the projected job growth and outlook for sports coordinators?
Based on a recent report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of sports coordinators and event planners across all industries is expected to increase dramatically by 33%.
Job opportunities and employment rates in event management tend to fluctuate considerably with the economy, so the nation's continued growth after the recent recession and pandemic will improve prospects.
Want to explore more? The video below covers sports career paths:
In closing
Sports coordinators are involved in every aspect of planning, marketing, and maintaining a sports team.
Formal education is required to advance in this career, but with the outlook of this job, the future is bright.
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what it takes to become a sports coordinator and day-to-day activities!
