Annual Salary
Variable
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Sports professionals are skilled and talented sports performers, who are paid to compete in their chosen sport.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
4.3% more Sports professional jobs in 2029.
You'll:
You could work on a sports field or at a fitness centre.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding, outdoors in all weathers, you'll travel often and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
The Sporting Excellence Professional, advanced apprenticeship is available in the following sports:
The apprenticeship gives talented amateur sports players the chance to develop their sporting talent alongside their education.
Once you've completed your apprenticeship, you may turn professional or continue as an amateur while you get more experience.
You can find out more from the professional body for each sport.
The route to becoming a professional varies from sport to sport.
Typically you'll start by joining a club, academy or amateur organisation where you can train and get coaching.
Most sports professionals are spotted early on by talent scouts at this stage.
In some sports you may be able to get financial help to develop your sporting talent as well as to continue your general education.
You can find out more about different schemes through Sport England.
Your chosen sport's National Governing Body (NGB) is the best place to get more information on the way to get ahead in your sport.
You'll need to:
Some professional sports careers can be quite short, so it's useful to have plans for what you will do when you can no longer play or compete.
You can get more details on what it takes to become a professional sportsperson from Sport England.
In the more physical and contact sports, your career would usually be short. Many professionals finish their sporting career by the age of 35.
After your career ends, you could stay involved in sport by moving into areas like:coaching; refereeing; team management; sports journalism and broadcasting; sports centre work
You can get more details on what it takes to become a professional sportsperson from Sport England.
You'll need: