Careers in Australian Sport

Dreaming of a career in sport? Well, with a fast-growing sports industry, and not to mention a great lifestyle, Australia might be the place for you! 

Sport is deeply ingrained in Australian culture, whether through participation or spectating, and everything in between. Across this passion for sport, Australians record over AU$137,000 in consumer spending per household, according to Global Sports Insights. This has contributed to the sport and recreation industry’s value of AU$9.43 billion as of 2023, a figure that has grown phenomenally over the years, with the industry valued at only AU$4.05 billion in 2010.

This represents a 133% growth over 13 years, heavily supported by the amount of sport played in the country. With 11 different sports played professionally, there are 184 professional teams that require a large number of people across various departments to keep everything running smoothly. More precisely, Australia has 162,000 people employed in sports and activity, a number that is set to skyrocket ahead of the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. Over 150,000 jobs are expected to be created in and around Brisbane for the event, which will be Australia’s third Olympics. The last was the highly successful Sydney 2000 Games, a sporting mega-event with a legacy that led tolong-term business opportunities. 

Jobs in Australian sport span a multitude of sectors, and one of the most exciting examples is sports technology. This includes anything from developing AI to analysing an athlete’s performance using data. The sector forms 12% of the country’s sports industry, with the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) reporting an annual revenue of AU$4.69 billion in its most recent Sports Innovation Report. The sector employs just under 15,000 people across 115 industry-leading companies. This growth ties in heavily with the upcoming Olympics, with ASTN’s chair, Dr. Martin Schlegel, saying, “We are building one of the world’s most advanced and integrated sportstech ecosystems. As a result, new companies will be formed, providing further growth opportunities for the sector.”

Other opportunities lie within professional clubs themselves, and these roles are becoming more common. Whether it’s through media, coaching, finance, or event management, Australian professional sports are expanding. Major leagues such as the AFL, NRL, or A-League have seen new clubs emerge in recent years, while sports like basketball have formed partnerships with international organisations to increase their reach. This expansion leads to both increased revenue and employment.

According to the Sports Industry Economic Analysis by KPMG, the largest sector of the sports industry is sports operations, which includes activities that contribute to the delivery and coordination of sport, such as coaching. The MSc Football Coaching & Analysis degree is one of the many postgraduate courses that you can study with the Global Institute of Sport whilst living in Australia. Additionally, we have close ties to various sporting organisations, such as the Association of Australian Football Clubs and The AllStar Academy, who regularly offer opportunities for you to gain experience while you study.

According to the Best-Howard model outlined in Global Sports Insights’ Sports Industry Report, Australia has the 8th highest Country Sports Score in the world. With the Olympics on the horizon, now is a great time to start your career in Australian sport.

Brand new from 2025, you can now study a sports master’s degree with GIS on-campus in Australia at GIS Sydney. Learn more.

Article by Zak Anani