If we take a broad view of the history of sports management, the first sports managers were the Romans (owners of gladiators) and agents of the all-powerful Chinese yakuza, who arranged fights between the best fighters of the Far East (they say they still do this today). However, real sports administrators appeared only at the end of the 19th century, when the world was gripped by a mass craze for sports and athletic competitions. Even then, sports administrators (or agents) and, in fact, managers emerged in the associated circles.
Administrators relieved titled athletes (primarily boxers or strongmen) from dealing with the bureaucratic structures of various associations and unions. Managers, having emerged from the ranks of administrators, gradually gained power over athletes – it was they who decided where to perform, which opponent to compete against, which newspaper to give or not give an interview to, which manufacturer’s equipment to use. Moreover, managers’ incomes gradually exceeded the fees of the athletes themselves.
Today, sports management has even more areas: 'administration in sports,' 'sports tourism,' 'sports goods industry,' 'track and field sports manager,' 'sports economics,' etc. Moreover, a single athlete may have several managers at once, each of whom will 'cover' their own area: one handles the athlete's nutrition, the second handles his equipment, the third takes on all accounting and economics, the fourth deals with legal issues.
People become sports managers in various ways. The classic Western variant of the 1970s-80s: a former coach or athlete graduates from an economics faculty and throws himself into the thick of the sports business. By the way, about 30 years ago, a manager of any Western team or athlete differed little in appearance from a coach – the same tracksuit and sports cap.
In the Soviet Union, sports managers were mainly military personnel – the security agencies created such 'all-sports' clubs as CSKA, Dynamo, and Spartak. And it was officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, and the Ministry of Defense who handled the 'economic support of sports activities.'
In the 1980s, educational institutions began to appear in Europe that trained sports managers in MBA programs or according to national educational standards. Their important difference from similar institutions in, say, the USA and Canada, which specialize primarily in management in baseball, boxing, and golf, is universality: having studied in Switzerland or Great Britain, you can successfully take on the 'business side' of a domestic football team. And most importantly, these educational institutions train precisely managers, not coaches or nutritionists.
Systems for training sports managers exist in all European countries. However, the most advanced in this field are considered to be Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Germany.
Great Britain
Great Britain is traditionally considered the leader in sports management education in Europe. Here, one can become a Master of Business Administration in Sport Management at business schools or at the relevant faculties of 11 universities and one institute. For example, at Coventry University, a one-year master's program (two semesters, the last devoted to writing a dissertation) covers both general disciplines (basics of marketing, personnel management, financial management) and highly specialized ones – sports journalism, sports economics, work with sponsoring organizations, management of sports facilities, and even sports casting. The cost of such training is from 8.5 thousand pounds sterling. However, if you are an athlete and have achieved significant success in your career, you may be eligible for a scholarship. In some years it reached 4 thousand pounds sterling. But the decision to award a scholarship is considered on an individual basis, so it can be difficult to obtain.
Universities known for training in sports management include De Montfort University, Central Lancashire University, and London Metropolitan University.
Each training program in the fundamentals of sports management includes an internship lasting from three to nine months. This is essentially a job in the future specialty with a salary and reprimands. Interns who have proven themselves well are offered to stay on a permanent basis (though most often in positions one level below desired). However, such offers are made to foreigners only in exceptional cases – the issue of citizenship arises. But this does not bother our compatriots, because an internship in any Western sports club is a guarantee of success in the domestic labor market.
France
French education in sports management is not far behind the English. One of the leaders here is the Euromed-Marseille School. The cost of tuition there is around €8 thousand per course. The structure of the program is generally similar to the English one. The only difference is that it is very difficult to get in. In addition to the usual requirements for an MBA (higher education, language proficiency – in this case French, general and professional resume and references), you must submit a GMAT (Graduate Management Assessment Test) and a document confirming at least three years of work experience.
It is significantly easier to become a student at the Audencia Nantes business school, which offers a master's program in management of sport organizations (Mastere Specialise in Management of Sport Organisations). Instruction here is also in French, but the language requirements are less strict. Both schools provide a four-month internship in sports organizations.
Switzerland
Sports management in this country emerged from hotel management, which made Switzerland famous worldwide. Accordingly, educational institutions whose main focus is training personnel for hotels and inns also train professionals in this specialty.
Despite the fact that Swiss MBA trainers have significantly less experience in training sports managers than their English and French colleagues, it is they who develop the most promising areas for training sports managers – the emphasis from the very beginning is on specialization (tennis, football, etc.). Training is mainly carried out according to bachelor's degree standards (up to two years, including preparatory practice). Training in shortened programs (with a certificate) and postgraduate training are also possible.
Getting into sports management (bachelor's) in Switzerland is not that difficult. We are welcome at all schools of hotel and sports management, the most famous of which are: Glion Hotel School and Les Roches. For admission, you most often need to score 500 points on TOEFL or 5.5 points on IELTS and be 18 years old. Postgraduate programs accept persons over 24. The only drawback of studying in Switzerland is the cost: it ranges from 17,000 to 33,000 Swiss francs.
Germany
Despite the fact that we don't hear about German sports education very often, it is here that the largest training center for sports managers in Europe is located. The Institute for Sports Economics and Sports Management (Institut fuer Sportoekonomie und Sportmanagement) at the Cologne Sports University, founded in 1989, is not like an ordinary MBA. It provides a classical university education – the institute produces economists with in-depth knowledge of the legal foundations of commercial and non-commercial activities of sports organizations, sponsorship, etc. It is very important that the university pays great attention to scientific research: during their studies, students engage in research activities in the field of management processes.
The specialists at the Institute for Languages and Economics in Freiburg (Institut fuer Sprachen und Wirtschaft) take a less global approach to the learning process. Here you will be offered a classic MBA, within which you will study the basics of marketing and sponsoring, concepts of sports entrepreneurship, project administration, etc. However, Germans would not be Germans if they did not expand the curriculum with general development disciplines. Optionally, you can acquire or expand your knowledge in English, French or Spanish, general and sports psychology, as well as cultural history. The cost of all this pleasure is €15 thousand.