Why work in sports marketing?

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What is sports marketing?

Sports marketing includes all the functions that allow to commercialize, promote or develop products or services related to sports.
Among others, we find functions of commercial director for a brand of sporting goods, or sponsorship manager within a sports federation.
The professions are vast and always revolve around the business of sports.

Benefits of working in sports marketing

The benefits of working in sports marketing are numerous.

A promising industry in the French economy

The sports goods market is worth approximately 12 billion euros in France. The BPCE Group publishes an annual study indicating that this industry represents nearly 90 billion euros in France and accounts for no less than 448,000 jobs.
France has approximately 360,000 sports associations and 112,000 sports-related companies.

All this, without taking into account the additional funds linked to the investment of communities, sponsors and partners, and television rights.

A sector focused on international development and innovation

Sports meetings and the sports market are international, so the student would be expected to work in a multicultural sector. In 2024, for example, France is hosting the Olympic Games, this event creates a lot of jobs and business opportunities in Paris, the Paris region and the rest of France.

The benefits of marketing

The marketing professions are essential in the development of a company that must constantly increase its capital. To this end, the choice is strategic because the jobs will always be numerous and varied. Sports marketing can encompass communication, sponsorship, press relations, events, international relations or retail and business development.

Limitations of working in sports marketing

A specialization that can close doors to other professions

Sports marketing is a field in which one can specialize through the thematic choice of one’s studies or professional experiences. The course is therefore less generalized.
It is therefore more difficult to join, for example, a marketing department in pharmaceuticals. This transition is not impossible, but it does require the student to make skillful career choices in order to properly reorient themselves.

A demanding business vision

Sports marketing requires a business vision of the industry. This profession is ultimately lucrative for the company in which the employee works. It may happen that financial, satisfaction or performance objectives are asked of the employee, adding additional pressure to his work.

What are the qualities required to work in sports marketing?

Mastering hard skills

As part of his training, the student is made aware of all the branches of the marketing mix both print, physical and digital. Among other things, he learns how to launch a product or service offering, collect and use customer insights, find and retain sponsors, organize events or increase sales.

Develop soft skills

The qualities needed to work in sports marketing, apart from the hard skills linked to the business, are reactivity, proactivity, curiosity, creativity and autonomy.
Often companies have to react in short time, to be creative to find solutions which make consensus while remaining innovative, with sometimes reduced budgets.

In which structures can a sports marketing professional work?

The structures are numerous, we find in particular:

  • Sports federations and associations;
  • Sports-related product and service brands ;
  • The athletes themselves;
  • Event agencies ;
  • The Ministry of Sports and other public authorities;
  • Try the adventure as anindependent.

Focus on the job of sports marketing manager: what is a sports marketing manager and how to become one?

What are the qualities of a sports marketing manager?

The qualities of a sports marketing manager, in addition to what has been indicated above, seem to be the ability to have a real innovative and strategic vision in the business in which he evolves.
Indeed, this job requires a solid theoretical foundation but also the ability to think about the future and the development of products or services that the company develops, according to current events and new consumer trends. We have to know how to adapt and transform ourselves, taking into account events beyond our control, CSR issues and new technologies.
A responsible job also requires, in addition to having technical knowledge, the ability to manage teams. Caring, listening and transparency seem to be essential qualities of a good management, whether in sport or in any other sector.

Which training to become a sports marketing manager?

The INSEEC of the OMNES Education group offers specializations in the field of sports .
INSEEC is a recognized business school, established in many French cities, in partnership with international schools.

This institution offers post-bac training up to the master’s degree in sports, among others the :

What is the salary of a sports marketing manager and what are his or her career prospects?

Sports marketing offers interesting salaries, depending of course on the structure in which the employee evolves. Indeed, an association does not have the same budgets as a private company or financial institution.

For example:

  • A sports marketing manager can expect a salary of about €3K gross per month at the beginning of his or her career, or about €36K gross per year.
  • When the sports marketing manager gains responsibility and years of experience, he/she can expect a salary between 4K€ and 5K€ gross per month, that is to say approximately 55K to 60K€ gross per year.
  • A sports marketing director can expect to earn a higher salary of course, around 7K€ gross per month, or around 85K€ gross per year.

Other questions asked in the field of Sport

Updated 2 August 2023