How to become a sport professional

So you're thinking of a career in sport, from competing to coaching. To performance analysis, there are plenty of ways to get involved in sport. Getting started needs dedication. Building strong skills from early on. Training regularly, joining clubs and competing where you can at school. At school subjects like PE and Biology can really help. There are different routes into sport.Some people go straight into entry level roles or do apprenticeships, whilst others go to college or university. Sport offers more than just playing. You could be guiding recovery as a sports physiotherapist, improving strength and conditioning as a coach or even influencing results as a sports psychologist. Along the way, you'll develop discipline, teamwork, resilience and confidence. It takes commitment, but it's a fast moving world where every day is different and effort can really pay off. So could this be your game? Where could sport take you?

Emma-Louise Sport! Some people can't get enough of it, while others don't understand the hype.

Frankie But, how easy is it to get a job in it?

Emma-Louise Well, as of 2020, there were over 396,000 people working in the sports sector in the UK. And, of those, only around 4% are professional athletes.

Frankie That means around 379,000 of those workers get paid for jobs other than competing as athletes. If you want to be an athlete, then you'll no doubt be exceptionally good at sports.

Emma-Louise More than likely, you'll already be competing at the top level.

Frankie Oh, what about e-sports? Can you be a professional e-sports athlete?

Emma-Louise Yes, that is a viable career, but it's no different from any other sports – if you're not competing at the top of that particular game, then the chances are you won't quite cut it as a professional gamer. Another option if you've got a high level of experience in a sport, is to become a coach or instructor. As well as your knowledge of the sport, you need to build experience of teaching others. Let's take a look at the roles we’re likely to find in gyms, leisure and sport centres.

Frankie Some of the most common roles you'll find in the sports sector are leisure and sports managers, who earn a median salary of just under £32,000 per year, with a projected growth of around 370 jobs by 2025. That is how many more jobs are predicted to be available. Other job roles in the sector include fitness instructors and caretakers.

Emma-Louise A fitness instructor earns a median salary of approximately £23,500, with a projected job growth of just under 1,000 jobs by 2025.

Frankie While a caretaker earns around £22,000 a year, with little to no growth between now and 2025.

Emma-Louise In the sports sector, you could earn up to an even more than $70 million or £50 million in a year.

Frankie That is a lot of money, who earns that? Let me guess, a footballer?

Emma-Louise No, according to the World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2021 list from Forbes, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was the highest ranked Brit in eighth place, who earned that amount in the year 2020 to 2021.

Frankie That is so much money.

Emma-Louise It is, but that is just part of it. It doesn't take into account additional sponsorship deals.

Frankie Wait, so you're telling me he earned even more than that?

Emma-Louise Yep, but obviously there are very few people who earn that kind of money.

Frankie Further job roles in the sports sector could include physiotherapists, kit managers, green keepers, or even golf ball retrievers.

Emma-Louise What kind of job is that?

Frankie That is a person who finds all the lost golf balls and recycles them.

Emma-Louise That's a job?

Frankie Oh yes. Of course, having an interest in sports is a good starting point, but working in sport doesn't mean you have to be sporty.

Emma-Louise Right! Paths into becoming a groundsperson, can include a college course or an apprenticeship.

Frankie Or paths into working as a commentator include a university degree, apprenticeships or volunteering.

Emma-Louise Let's get some insight from people working in sport.

Frankie Jay, a physiotherapist from Leeds, had this to say: "Training to become a physiotherapist involves several stages, but it's all worth it. I treat over 500 different people each year – kids, grandparents, pro athletes, business owners. Being able to help so many people is very rewarding."

Emma-Louise Now let's hear from Tara, the CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity: "We think that all roles in sports and physical activity will be in strong demand in the next few years, as more people realise the physical and mental health benefits of being active. It's also one of the most socially-mobile sectors, with many people starting out in junior roles, ending up running some of the biggest organisations."

Frankie There you have it. If you want to work in sports, there's sure to be something for you. From a sports journalist…

Emma-Louise … to a horse masseuse.