The 2012 London Olympics is invigorating the sports jobs market, creating competition for private sector professionals. according to new research , the professionals can strike sponsorship deals, increase their memberships and raise performance standards.
UK newspaper, The Financial Times, reports that a survey by sports consultancy, Sports Recruitment International (SRI), has found that the days of administrators accepting low salaries because of their passion for the job are ending, as governing bodies offer salaries of up to £150,000 ($265,000, €190,000) for chief executives and £300,000 for performance directors – a marked increase on previous years.
The award of the 2012 Games, SRI says, has had “a galvanising effect” on the sports jobs market, shining a spotlight on underinvested sports, and generating more resources, particularly from the private sector, to improve elite performance.
“There is now a much more professional edge to national governing bodies, and they are now run as businesses,” Amy Johnson of SRI told the paper. “The skill sets are very much commercially focused – people who can do deals, who have sales skills. There is also a need for online marketing skills.”
SRI’s salary survey of 1,300 sports professionals also reports that many were lured into new jobs by packages that include performance-related bonuses, pensions, medical cover and car allowances.
