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Sports Management in India – Overview, Scope, Courses, Career Opportunities

Sports Management Industry in India:

Sports Management is a multi-billion dollar industry in India and is considered to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the economy. In the last decade, the sports industry in India experienced a massive surge in investments and crossed leaps and boundaries in popularity. Success of major sporting events like the Indian Premier League (IPL), India Super League (ISL), Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Premier Badminton League (PBL) has contributed highly to this upscale. Along with it the creation of nation’s true sporting stars like Sunil Chettri, P.V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Hima Das and many more have ignited the spirits of Indian sports fans and made them appreciate and love different sports other than Cricket.

While Cricket still being the most popular sport in the nation, but with gaining popularity of other sports, India cannot be considered as an only one-sport nation now.

The Sports Management Industry in India is growing at approx. 15% per annum (source: DataPOWA) which is far more than the average growth rate of 5% worldwide. It also contributes to about 1-5 percent of the total GDP of the nation.

According to a FICCI report: India would require an est. 4 million sports management professionals by 2022! Even the IPL, since its inception in 2008 has multiplied its value 5 times in the last decade emerging as one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. It also created employment for over 15000 professionals. Although the sports industry’s contribution to employment in India is just 0.5% as compared to 2-4% in developed countries, the number is estimated to rise rapidly in the coming years.

Source: The Sports Law & Policy Centre report by Sundar Raman

The year 2019 was a commercial success for Indian sports and just reinforced the belief in the upsurge trend of the industry. It saw substantial growth of 17% in Sports Sponsorship with crossing the value of Rs.9000/- crore for the first time in history.

What is Sports Management?

Sports management is a marriage of the business attributes of sport and the sports game itself. For every sporting event you see, right from Olympics to a local school or college tournaments, there is a team of professionals working together to execute the entire event successfully.

This team is responsible for planning, managing, organizing, budgeting and execution of all sporting activities.

Simply put, Sports Managers are professionals working in the sports industry.

They are the off the field heroes who are responsible for the flourishing spectacle you see on the field or on your screens.

Their work include everything from operations, logistics & retail to marketing and media of a sports event, particular sport, sports teams, sports clubs, athletes or sports facilities/venues.

Sports Management provides an individual a huge array of scope to choose their career in sports industry. It is an opportunity for to convert your passion for sports into a sustainable and successful career.

Sports field is open to all interested individuals and even people working in different sectors can switch to Sports Industry without a Sports Management degree, provided they have the necessary skill to do the job and willingness to learn about the industry.

Why Sports Management course?

The Sports Industry has massively expanded in the past few years by hosting multiple major sports leagues and international events. This has caused an increase in demand for Sports Management Professionals to act as the backbone of these events. Sports Management course provides a solid foundation and knowledge to an individual regarding the sports industry and its working style.

The inculcation of passion with formal education in the field widens your chance and opportunities to work in the industry. It provides the right exposure and insights into the global practices of the industry. A Sports Management institute yields suitable internships and has interactive sessions with industry experts, conducts workshops, covers overall theoretical knowledge about the industry, and well equips the students with tools and techniques to step into the working world.

Sports Management Degrees & Courses:

Undergraduate or Bachelor’s Degree programs:

Bachelor’s degree program is your first step towards the sports industry. The duration of course can be 3 or 4 years depending upon your University. This course combines sports with aspects of Management, Finance, Marketing and Law.

Available courses are:

  • BSM: Bachelors of Sports Management
  • BBA: Bachelors of Business Administration in Sports Management
  • BMS: Bachelors of Management Studies in Sports Management
  • BA: Bachelors of Art in Sports Management

You can expect to have subjects on following topics:

  • Sports Management
  • Marketing
  • Administration and Organization
  • Sports Law
  • Finance
  • Facility Management
  • Communications and Technology
  • Sports Ethics and Human Skills
  • Sports Entrepreneurship
Master’s Degree or Post Graduation programs:

Master’s Degree is an intensive programme which aims to provide the necessary skills and knowledge as well as some hand on experience of working in the sports industry.  It imparts much advanced education on sports management and the practical experience which allows students to have an edge in the competitive world.

There are multiple courses available for post-graduation such as:

  • Masters of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Science in Sports Medicine
  • Post Graduate in Sports Management
  • Master of Science in Sports Management
  • Post Graduate Program in Sports & Wellness Management 
  • Post Graduate Program in Sports Event Management

Generally, the duration of such courses is 1/2 years.

Diploma & Certification courses:

Such courses help you fast-track your career in the field of Sports Management. The curriculum is designed to prepare individuals in all major aspects of the Sports Industry. These are short and intense courses. The courses give students professional exposure to the structure, economic impact, , marketing, organization of the Sports Industry as well as the current trends in sports and the relationship between sports and the mass media.

One can even choose a diploma or certification for specialization in a particular subject of interest. For example, Certification on Sports Sponsorship.

Certification courses can also be done alongside a full-time Graduation or Post-Graduation degree program.  

 It is best to do a thorough research on which course is best suitable for you and it is provided by a verified institution.

Careers opportunities:

There are a plethora of opportunities to create a career in Sports Management in India and worldwide.

Read more about the career opportunities here: 15 Careers in Sports Management

Also read: List of sports management Movie/Shows

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