Major employers in sport and recreation
A list of major employers in sport and recreation
Federal government
- Australian Institute of Sport
- Australian Sports Commission
State government
- Department of Sport and Recreation
Local government
- eg. Town of Vincent
YMCA
- e.g. YMCA Perth
State, national and international sport and recreation associations
- e.g. International Hockey Federation, Hockey Australia, Hockey WA
State and national sport, physical recreation and aquatic facilities
- e.g. Challenge Stadium, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Public, private, commercial, and voluntary sport clubs
- e.g. West Coast Eagles FC, Osborne Park Bowling Club
Private health and fitness centres
- e.g. Fuller Fitness
Sport events and programs
- e.g. EventsCorp, Activ Foundation
Wholesaling, retailing, marketing, distribution and sale of sport goods and services
- e.g. Sportsgoods
Sport tourism, adventure sports and tourist destination attractions
- e.g Tourism WA, Ern Halliday
Sport education and coaching
- e.g. Local Schools, Western Australian Institute of Sport, Australian Institute of Sport
Private schools
- e.g. Penrhos College, Perth Modern School
Technology and support services management for mass and highperformance sport
- e.g. Australian Institute of Sport
Volunteering
One of the best ways to gain employment in the sport and recreation industry is to enter into a volunteer role with a sport or recreation organisation. As the sport and recreation industry is extremely competitive, it is important to gain as much practical experience as possible while you are studying.
A volunteer role can help you develop contacts with people working in the industry. These can prove useful when applying for future positions. It is interesting to know that approximately 75% of jobs are given to applicants that know someone within the organisation!
Work ing as a volunteer greatly assists in the development of practical skills, many of which are not taught in a formal setting. Potential employers hold volunteering in high regard and therefore, candidates who have volunteered may have an advantage over those who have not.
Jasmine Paolino, 23:
I contacted my careers guidance councillor at my university and asked her if she could let me know if anything comes up within the sport and recreation industry that I could be involved in. From this, I received an email saying that the Active 08 conference needed volunteers. I volunteered for two full days, helping them set up and assisting with people’s queries. I showed initiative by ensuring that I networked with people that work in the industry, building a positive relationship with a manager at the Depar tment of Sport and Recreation (DSR).
Following this, I kept in contact with him and continued to show that I was eager to get an opportunity within the spor t and recreation industry by asking about possible employment opportunities. When a position arose within the DSR, the manager informed me and went out of his way to persuade others to give me the position, saying that I would be a worthy candidate due to all the voluntary experience I had gained. Now, a year later, I’m a project officer in events and facilitating running the Active 09 conference! Volunteering not only assisted me in gaining the position I currently hold, but also provided me with an understanding of how to coordinate the event.
If you are interested in voluntary work in WA, visit: www.volunteeringwa. org.au. Check out the ‘WA Volunteer Resource Centres’ under the ‘Links’ tab for places to volunteer close to home!
Part-time and casual work
Part-time and casual work can also be a great way to get a foot in the door in the sport and recreation industry. Part-time and casual work can be undertaken while studying and can sometimes lead to a full-time position being offered on completion of study. Types of part-time and casual work include: Community recreation, outdoor recreation, aquatics and fitness centres and retail sporting outlets. Community sports clubs and recreation groups have umpiring/officiating and junior development roles.
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