Career In Sports Management : Let The Dream Begin

Career in Sports Management in India

This Article is about my journey so far in the sports industry and my experience of building a career in sports management in India. This is my attempt to showcase that passion could be our career paths as there are several opportunities in sports. In order to have the courage to take the road less travelled, all we got to do is keep believing that:

Dreams Do Come True.

James M. Barrie

The Sports Industry

In a little over a decade, the Indian sports industry has had an impressive growth prospect. It is one of the largest growing industries globally, generating employment as well as revenue for the country. It was once believed that only cricket would succeed in India. However, with the passage of time, various other sports like kabaddi, football, tennis, badminton, to name a few, are also in the pipeline of having a brighter and stronger foothold in the near future.

The Indian Premier League – Changing the Industry

Talking precisely about the Indian Premier League, it has changed the face of the game of cricket in India. Born into Generation Z, I have not witnessed the evolution of the sport from its traditional form. But instead, I have been born in the age in which professional sports management is the norm, rather than a wish anymore. Generation Y, or the millennials in India, began identifying with the English Premier League, launched in their generation. My generation was presented with the Indian Premier League, right at our doorstep.

Sports and Entertainment have now merged to provide the viewer with high adrenaline entertainment. As the number of players drawn in all professionally managed sport has increased, the complexities of managing these mega-events have multiplied manifold. With the advent of modern technology, television channels, and the internet, the popularity of sports has exploded.

Sports – My First Love

In terms of my journey, sport has always been my first love. Sports has been something, which I feel, I have identified in my life and have chosen to be neck deep in. I strongly believe in these words by George Burns:

I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I dislike.

George Burns

I had great excitement and passion when it came to being a part of the sporting world, be it participating or managing the sport. I never felt like being away from the sporting world.

Having played cricket for school, college, club and state teams, my passion for sports kept increasing. Thereafter I took to a career in sports Management. This gave me a strong exposure and a wider perspective to analyse the status quo from both sides of the industry.

To put it in simple words,

When you’re following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves.

Shakti Gawain

The Entry Point to a Career in Sports Management

Even as I had enrolled for a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Markets) program and later pursued a Master of Commerce, in my heart, I had always envisioned myself having a career in sports management. I did well academically in the business programs that I had pursued, but sought my first job with a Sports Management Institute as a Marketing and Events Executive.

As I learnt the ropes in event management, I could relate my learning to sport management. The logistics were similar. Through undergraduate and graduate studies, I had been trained in principles of management. Now, I could apply my theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Sticking to the Sports Industry

Here, what is important is, that you might not always get what you want straight away in any industry, but what matters is that one needs to take the first step. I have always believed that,

The belief that you can have a meaningful career is the first step to finding one.

Sean Aiken

The same way, my first job didn’t offer me the profile I wanted but I took it up as a learning experience to get to where I wanted to be. And yes, as I said, it did teach and give me a lot of exposure, clarity and insights about the industry and I learnt the importance of networking in the sport industry.

An Eventful Break

Eventually, I managed to set up an event for a company as a consultant, directly working under the COO of the company for their sports event wherein I got an opportunity to curate, plan and frame a Multi-Sport event. I also got to design and structure departmental roles and responsibilities to ensure smooth functioning of the event. I was able to mentor students enabling them to carry out the entire event on their own.

Striking Gold in my Sports Management Career: Job in IPL

Moving onto the next step, it’s said “Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations”. Well, it proved to be exactly the same in my journey to be a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). IMG was responsible for the entire execution and planning of the IPL and just like any sports management professional would dream of, working with IMG for the Indian Premier League was a dream.

The Power of Self-Belief

According to me and from the little experience I have had, I feel the most important ingredient to make a difference, is the belief in your ability, the skills and also the zeal to keep learning. It wasn’t easy to be a part of a tournament which is eyed by thousands of professionals wanting to work in.

The Power of Networking

If I have to just skim through all my struggles, it started with the most important aspect – ‘Networking’. Networking helped me set a base and know people who worked or had worked for the Indian Premier League with IMG. Connecting with them gave me an insight as to how recruiting works in this domain and who I was supposed to contact, in order to get an appointment.

Along with many rounds of trying to build my network, I attempted to find the right point of contact to send my CV and cover letter to. This effort was succeeded with constantly following up with the person in charge. My efforts paid off with my having a few telephonic interviews and reviews. Finally, I got the job in IPL and a dream opportunity to be a part of the team I had always envisioned myself to be with. It took me almost a year to get through, but it was worth the endeavour, sweat, and patience.

Related Read: Curriculum Vitae: How To Draft A Winning CV?

Getting Closer to My Dream Career in Sports Management

Well, this job in IPL was just getting the opportunity. Now, the most important part was to make the most out of the chance I was given. I was 22 when I had landed up with this opportunity and was the youngest in my team. The best part about this was that I was learning and was in the company of the most experienced and brilliant individuals one could come across in the Industry. It was a pool filled with lots of experience from all parts of the world and professionals who were experts in their field of work.

To be a part of such a team was always the place I wanted to be. I knew that this would be a place where my skills and knowledge could be put to good use. I could make a difference by being in such an environment where individuals are pushed towards growth. I was the Venue Team assistant for the Mumbai venue, where I assisted in the functioning and planning of the tournament by being a part of the hospitality, accreditation, sponsorships and operations team. This engagement brought me as close as possible to experience the world I wished to be in and strengthen the foundations of my career in sports management.

Career Opportunities in Sports Management

Today, seeing the growth of the sport industry in India, there are a variety of career profiles for individuals aspiring to make a career in Sport Management. These include – League / Team / Athlete Management, Venue Management, Managing Associations / Federations, Handling the Operations / Logistics of Team or League, Sports Grassroots Development – Identifying & Nurturing Talent, Handling Media & Communications Outfit of a Team, Sports Event Management – from Conception to Planning to Coordination to Execution, Business Development, Sales & Client Servicing, Digital Marketing, Electronic & Digital Media – Programming, Sports Data Analytics, Sports Retail, Sports Tourism, Sports Psychology, Nutrition, Sports Law, Coaching, to name a few.

A career in Sports Management is challenging but immensely satisfying. The industry is yearning to welcome people who can make a difference both on and off the field and is on route to becoming one of the biggest industries of the country in the coming times.

My Goals and My Dreams

My goal in life with respect to my career is to experience and head the entire tournament operations for various leagues like “The English Premier League,” “Indian Premier League,” “Wimbledon,” “Olympics,” “Formula One,” to name a few.

My ultimate objective is to improve and advance the functioning of these tournaments by being a core member of the organizing committee and eventually being the tournament director in one of the major tournaments.

Apart from the professional goals and desires, I also want to develop the conditions for sport and create opportunities for talented and budding athletes and sports professionals who are wishing to make a career in sport across the globe.

To all my fellow aspirants who want to pursue a career in sports management or in any other field that they love, I would say just be courageous enough to chase your dream career and when you do know what you really love to do in life, never stop chasing it.

About The Author: Arnav Oza

Arnav Oza is a sports management professional with experience in Sports Events Operations and athlete management. He has been a part of the team managing the Indian Premier League also. He has a Bachelors in Financial Markets and Masters in Business Management and will be pursuing his Masters in Sports Management from Loughborough University.

Arnav is a professional cricketer who has represented Mumbai for Under 14-16 and 19 camps and also played for prestigious clubs like Bombay Gymkhana and Hindu Gymkhana. He is the recipient of the “Ajjit Dattar Scholarship” from N.M College. He is also passionate about music, as well as dancing and plays the guitar.

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