Why choose a career in sport?
by
The sports industry continues to grow and diversify, reaching a value of nearly $488.5bn in 2018, with an expected growth to nearly $614.1bn by 2022*. Not only is there growth in the value, but most importantly there is growth in the diversity of opportunity within the sector, with the rising availability and consumption of sports content available through a broadening of the availability of the internet. Evidencing this change, the sports audience for Indian TV increased by 7% during 2017, creating 46 billion online impressions in 2018**.
Liverpool FC, in partnership with the world’s learning company, Pearson, are offering international sports industry qualifications designed to provide pathways to careers in sport, fitness and physical activity for young people and adults.
Through its LFC International Academy programme, the club has worked with Pearson to create co-branded BTEC sport, fitness and physical activity sector qualifications, available to overseas learners since September 2020 in Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Bermuda, India, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Ghana, Kenya Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain.
As an increasing number of people seek vocational learning opportunities to best prepare them for a career in sport, the new qualifications developed using the LFC International Academy’s expertise and experience of delivering an authentic club coaching programme to young people around the world, with Pearson’s global expertise in developing high quality qualifications that meet the needs of the industry and employers around the world.
Contributing to the financial growth in the sports industry is the increasing influence of emerging markets, with Asia hosting the 2018, 2020 and 2022 Olympic games, and Qatar hosting the next FIFA World Cup in 2022. This increasing international footprint reinforces the growing interest in sport across the globe, and the biggest brands and organisations’ desire to leave a lasting impression on a greater audience.
The qualifications and resources have been developed and designed using business and technical insight from LFC. Through an LFC and Pearson combined working group each unit underwent a rigorous process of review, debate and development before approved sign off. LFC’s core values, methodologies and philosophies of working and coaching the Liverpool way were integrated into units.
New units were also created and developed covering the history of LFC, the club as a business, LFC ethics, behaviours, values and employability skills. All with the overarching objectives of ensuring that the learners experience will be insightful and truly authentic to LFC whilst empowering learners to achieve a career in the sports industry.
Young people and adults wishing to pursue and progress their career in sport will now be able to acquire up-to-date authentic industry knowledge and skills that will open doors to a range of roles, such as coaching, management, facilities operations and fitness instruction.
The easy-to-access modular BTEC qualifications will enable learners to engage in bitesize learning, take short courses or complete a full two-year program. This flexible and adaptable offering will also enable more learners to gain insight and experience in working, learning and coaching the Liverpool way.
Learn more about career pathways into the global sports industry
*Source: Business Wire
**Source: The Business Research Company
Suzie Williams
Suzie Williams is part of the international schools team at Pearson. A graduate of the universities of Salford and Strathclyde in the UK, she has worked in education for over 20 years, is a former primary school governor, heads up the Pearson international schools blog and produces and directs the annual Pearson International School Leaders Conferences.