Sports Careers in India
Looking for a career in sports? But don't have faith in the future prospects? People like you are very much in demand!
Being an active sportsman/ player is the primary option, the other options in the field like sports management, sports medicine, sports journalism, adventure sports, fitness and health clinics and the likes, have come to be regarded as full fledged and highly paid careers options.
Sports persons with years of experience are now being offered to work in a related field, such as, sports journalism, sports goods manufacturing/marketing or as 'Pundits'.
Of late, Sports related careers have easily been accepted as 'mainstream genres in occupation'. Even financially, sport-related careers end up earning more than their non-sport counterparts. lets have a look:
Sports Job Prospects
Sports as a profession offers a plethora of career opportunities, some of them are:
Sportspersons
Becoming a sportsperson isn't that easy. Once in a professional sports environment, the athlete needs to follow a strict exercise routine under supervision of coaches, medical staff and other sports authorities and also has to have a disciplined diet.
The country encourages and supports those who excel in their fields and bring the country's name into limelight in international sports meets.
Actual performance on field may be short-lived, but a successful stint opens many other avenues for a sportsperson who retires from active sports due to age or injury.
Positions in state level and national level sports organizations are often offered to sportspersons after they retire from active sports.
Coaching
This option has now assumed a greater significance with more and more schools and parents realizing the importance of physical activity. Many parents prefer educational institutions that offer their children an all-round curriculum which balance academics and physical education which cover activities like swimming, horse riding, yoga etc.
As more and more Indian sportspersons are gaining recognition, The number of parents pushing their children to pursue sports as a career instead of traditional academics has increased.
Therefore job openings in this area have increased. This can be a rewarding and satisfying job for a person who enjoys outdoor activities and wishes to nurture young talent.
Besides educational institutions, many private clubs employ coaches for a very well trained team of athletes (Football, Cricket,etc.)
The recent advent of the IPL, the I-League and the ISL have opened newer avenues for people wanting to work in India.
Sports Journalism / Sports Commentating
Those endowed with communication skills can easily become popular like a Harsha Bhogle or a Ravi Shastri. With rapid growth in television, newspapers/ magazines and social media, sports journalism has surely surfaced as a highly paid profession.
Now there are numerous television channels like Star Sports, ESPN, Ten Sports, Zee Sports and DD Sports which cater only to Sports. Those with good communication skills can easily become 'pundits' of the sport
Sports Photographer
After the content aspect of the sport, Another important aspect being that of sports photography. The popularity of sports means that the sportspersons have a lot of admirers and also are sometimes raised to a pedestal by the masses. A few clicks of their stars in action can earn you a lot of praise and money of course!
Consultants (Sports Medicine)
The current awareness about health and fitness has created a need for experts who can advise individuals about their health needs and suggest a personalised fitness programme taking into account lifestyle, time constraints and other relevant factors.
Such professionals may be employed in an advisory capacity by leading health clubs. Hospitals and rehabilitation centres also utilize the services of such specialists to provide sound advice on the best course of action for patients who need structured physical activity.
Such specialists also attend to the maladies of the sportspersons during action e.g. sprains, muscle pulls, torn ligaments, fractures etc. Physiotherapists are also required in the field of sports to provide continuous and sustained treatment to the injured individuals.
Umpire / Referee
This is a tough job as it requires thorough knowledge of the rules of the game one is refereeing and also be very unbiased. Their job is to carry out the games and sports in accordance with rules and regulations as set by the concerned governing body various recognized State and national sports organizations employ umpires and referees.
They also reward certification of expertise for the game to qualified umpires and referees. The other tasks which an umpire/referee performs include scrutinizing sports equipment, the ground and enforcing fulfillment of schedules and rules.
Opportunities with Private Sector
The increasing awareness about physical fitness and the popularity enjoyed by many games has led to the mushrooming of sports clubs all over the country. From simple ones that offer coaching to the ones that are fully equipped to cater to the elites and upper classes.
Such clubs are privately owned and the owners prefer persons with exposure in relevant sporting fields to operate sports and leisure clubs. Such jobs carry many administrative responsibilities alongside the actual consultation.
Persons working in such places need to have excellent interpersonal skills, as they will need to interact with many people who come to use the facilities offered by the club, with various sportspersons to be appointed as instructors, equipment suppliers and so on.
Manufacturing Sports Equipment
Innovation and experience is an excellent combination and works well in many areas including that of sports equipment manufacture. This is a very specialized field and has new products aimed at enhancing the innate abilities of sportspersons and enabling them to do their best.
Big sporting events like the Olympics/Asian/Commonwealth games regularly showcase such innovative equipment, of which many go on to become standard equipment. Sports goods and equipment has an increasing market. So specialists are engaged to help in market research and development.