The business of sport: sports development or sports management?

If you’re passionate about sport and the impact it has on society, there are several ways you can place this passion the centre of your career. The Bachelor of Sport Development and the Bachelor of Business (Sport Management) are two options that prepare you for sport-focused careers. We spoke to Program Director Professor Pamm Phillips for an in depth look at each course.

The Bachelor of Sport Development focuses on both increasing participation in sports and leveraging its positive impacts. ‘To plan for the development of participation in sports you need to be able to analyse, investigate and understand sport systems,’ Prof. Phillips says.

‘The other key aspect is development through sport, and this involves looking at ways to manage sport to build social capital and cohesion in community.’

There are five key areas of study in the Bachelor of Sport Development. ‘There are foundation units, units that are about managing and working with sport organisations, units that deal with participation in sport and then units that deal with community development,’ Prof. Phillips says.

‘That includes physical activity and population health, as well as perspectives in how we use health and physical activity in different countries. We explore how sport might be leveraged for health, the different kinds of health outcomes and how cultures might approach things differently.’

The final core area is the practicum units. ‘One of the key things that sets the Bachelor of Sport Development apart is that students undertake two sets of work experience,’ Prof. Phillips explains.

‘One is a sport development and/or coaching experience and then another is a sport management experience.’ All up, the course involves over 200 hours of practical experience.

The skillset acquired through this degree is something that’s much sought after. ‘Graduates from the Bachelor of Sport Development ensure that we harness and leverage the way in which sport can be used for positive outcomes outside of sport itself – such as the physical, mental and social benefits that we get from sports,’ Prof. Phillips says.

The three core areas of jobs in sport for graduates include managing and marketing sport organisations, coaching and sports science, and community development/sports pathways. Graduates of the Bachelor of Sport Development might work as sport development officers, community engagement officers or sport engagement officers within sport organisations, national and state institutions, and increasingly, regional associations.

Opportunities to work in sport development are also found in multi-sport facilities. ‘Graduates have the skills to understand the multiple sports and the ways in which facilities need to cater for multiple sports and to build systems and pathways within facilities to cater for those,’ Prof. Phillips says.

‘If people want to work in the health of the population but don’t want to be on the frontline in medicine, this is the next best step.’

The Bachelor of Business (Sport Management) is a leading program nationally with a strong reputation throughout Australia.

‘This is purely about the business of sport,’ Prof. Phillips says. ‘One of the strengths of this program is that it's integrated and part of a broader business degree. It covers the core business units of management, accounting and decision making.’

In addition to the business focus, students in the Bachelor of Business (Sport Management) also address the essential elements of the business of sport. ‘That includes sport and the law, sports facility management, sport marketing, and delivery mechanisms in sports organisations,’ Prof. Phillips says.

With the space to take eight elective subjects from the Faculty of Business and Law, there is scope to personalise the course. ‘Students can design a major or an additional minor to tailor the course for the specific outcomes that they want,’ Prof. Phillips says.

The course is designed for those who want to work behind the scenes in the business of sports. ‘That could be for a professional team, in a government or administration role, in athlete management, ticketing and sales, membership for a team, finance for a team or professional sport organisation,’ Prof. Phillips explains.

The sport and leisure framework continues to be a growth industry and sport teams, organisations and governments are seeking professionals who have an intricate understanding of the industry and how to achieve positive outcomes.

Whether you’re interested in the business side of sports through the Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) or the development side through the Bachelor of Sports Development, both can lead to great careers.

We are at a point in time where we really understand and appreciate the value of sport on a societal level. ‘One of the things that's been really clear through COVID is that people missed sport,’ Prof. Phillips explains. ‘People missed the ability to play and participate in sport and they missed all of the cohesion and mental and physical health benefits that come from that.’

Want to study sport? Learn more about the Bachelor of Sport Development and the Bachelor of Business (Sport Management).