Sport Management

Sport management is a discipline concerned with how sports organisations are run, how they create value for participants, fans, sponsors, and communities, and how the business, marketing, operational, and governance challenges of sport can be navigated effectively. From professional football clubs and national governing bodies to community leisure operators and international federations, sport involves complex organisations whose management requires both general business knowledge and specialist understanding of the sports sector.

At the University of Northumbria in Newcastle this three-year programme is designed to develop graduates who can appreciate and evaluate sport as a global business from an informed and inquisitive managerial perspective. You will study core business and management disciplines alongside specialist sport management topics including event management, sponsorship, sport marketing, facility management, sport policy, and the governance of sport at national and international levels. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you direct professional experience in sport organisations and international exposure that significantly enriches your understanding of sport as both a business and a social institution.

Graduates of sport management work in professional sports clubs, national governing bodies, sport events companies, sports marketing agencies, public leisure facilities, university sport departments, and a wide range of organisations involved in the commercial and social development of sport. Roles include commercial manager, events coordinator, marketing executive, facilities manager, sport development officer, and sponsorship manager. The combination of business knowledge and sports industry expertise makes graduates competitive for roles across the sector at national and international levels.

Postgraduate study in sport management, marketing, event management, or business is an option for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or move into senior management roles.