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Career Opportunities in
Women’s Sports Becky
Heidesch, CEO of Women's Sports Services &
www.WomenSportsJobs.com
offers insight to a career in women's sports and in the sports industry. Women In Sports Careers
It
is a wonderful time for women’s sports in this country and an equally exciting
time for women in sports related careers. With
the surge of women’s professional team sports – for the first time in this
country - women our now moving into front office management positions of
women’s professional team sports. New
opportunities are popping up in virtually every aspect of sports business as it
relates to the women’s market. On
the professional level the new women’s soccer league (WUSA) is currently
hiring in several front office management positions ranging from being a general
manager to marketing opportunities and media relations positions.
The growth and interest of the WNBA continues to provide new career
opportunities in women’s professional team sports. With
the movement of the Internet, new media is another area with exciting career
opportunities. Companies developing
a girls and women’s sports component to their sports websites are all
scrambling to provide compelling, exciting, and interesting sports content for
the female market. There are numerous opportunities for freelance work in this
area. The traditional print media
is also growing -- not only in journalism -- but advertising sales, marketing
and sponsorship sales. As more and
more networks are televising girls and women’s sporting events there is a
growing need to find qualified women to broadcast and announce perspective games
and events. On
the sporting goods side, there are opportunities in manufacturing with the
design of product and apparel for the active female consumer.
As the market continues its growth surge, manufacturers are working hard
to meet market demands in both fashion and functionality. Perhaps
one of the greatest areas of need and opportunity currently exists in coaching,
athletic administration and officiating. On
virtually all levels, from the high school to the collegiate level, there is a
growing need to retain these areas. If
any of these areas are of interest to you, consider getting involved in NACWAA (National
Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators,) or a specialized
coaching association, such as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AWCA),
the National Fast pitch Coaches Association, or the Women’s Basketball Coaches
Association. All of these
organizations are committed to bringing in more women and supporting the
retention of women in sports related careers.
If you are just starting out try interning with the Women’s Sports
Foundation. The
areas with the most opportunities during the next five years are in new business
development, such as, sports apparel, new media and coaching, athletic
administration, and officiating. The
opportunities for new business development are huge here.
Based on the number of participants in the 9-to-11-year-old girls age
bracket, the sky’s the limit on new opportunities.
The manufacturers are lagging in designing apparel for this age group and
there will be a growing need to keep up with the market growth. With
more women’s professional leagues on the horizon, many newspapers and Internet
sites are focusing on more women's content. There are all sorts of media
opportunities emerging from radio, TV, and cable shows offering more and more
content focused on the active female consumer.
More career opportunities are emerging in event management with
corporations as well. As many
companies want to create their own signature events we expect to see more of
this in the future. With the
growing interest and market potential sponsorship and advertising sales
positions will also increase. Here’s
a few helpful hints on managing your sports career.
Remember
that we live in a sports society. Who
wouldn’t want a job in sports? For
every job you apply for remember there are hundreds more competing against you.
What is it that sets you apart? Remember
– it’s not about what you have done --- it’s about your value to that
employer. Good luck – stick
with it. It’s a matter of loving
what you do! In
1995, Heidesch founded the Women's Sports Wire in 1995, a national clearinghouse
of women’s sports business news and information.
She is currently CEO of Women’Sports Services and www.WomenSportsJobs.com.
Email: bheidesch@wsservices.com
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