Sports Facilities and Operations Management: Running the Show Behind the Scenes

Do you love sports, but enjoy them more from the sidelines, rather than being on the field? Do you attend sporting events and wish that you could be the person setting everything up behind the scenes? If so, then a career in sports facilities and operations management may be your best option.

What’s involved in obtaining one of these careers? What educational requirements are there? What types of jobs are behind the scenes? Here’s what you need to know.

Consider Getting a College Degree

Although you don’t necessarily need a college degree in order to work behind the scenes at a sports facility, having one in business or sports management will certainly help. These degree programs teach you many of the skills that you need to know in order to plan events, market them, and manage people. Many even include courses on finance, ethics, and accounting, providing you with a solid background. Of course, you could try starting at the bottom, for example, in the ticket booth, and work your way up from there, but it does help to have that degree.

What Types of Jobs Are There Behind the Scenes at a Sports Facility?

While it takes a lot of people to run the stadium on game day, there’s also a lot going on behind the scenes leading up to that moment. People who work in operations management tend to find themselves in one of these important departments:

• Marketing – The marketing team is in charge of everything from finding event sponsors, designing and putting up paid advertisements in order to entice people to visit the sporting events and other things going on at the stadium, and more. Without a marketing team, no one outside of the organization would know what was going on.
• Event Planning – Usually, when you think of a sports stadium, one specific event comes to mind: the games themselves between the home team and a visiting one. However, on top of that, some stadiums hold concerts, host kid-friendly events, and even have weddings on site which keep the event planning team busy.
• Public Relations – Public relations and marketing teams usually work hand in hand, but there are a few differences. PR teams have to confront negative issues as well as positive moments, making it clear where the organization stands on each specific situation.
• Finance – The finance team works with the marketing team in order to find advertising sponsors for the stadium. However, they also keep an eye on things like ticket sales, parking costs, and other forms of revenue to keep the stadium’s finances in the black, avoiding the red.

Want to Work in Operations Management for a Sports Facility?

If operations management for a sports facility is for you, consider attending Dean College. We have a sports management degree program that includes courses in many different topics, all of which will help you get a job in your chosen field. In addition, our location, which is close to the many major and minor league teams in Boston, and our partnership with Kraft Sports + Entertainment, can increase your opportunities to make the connections you need to get into this competitive field.