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Sector Briefings - Professional Sports
For more information on the Professional Sports sector, download our print-ready PDF:
DownloadSector Briefing
Northern Ireland has produced incredible sporting talent, with many of our sporting professionals gaining international recognition, such as footballer George Best, golf players Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, and Darren Clarke, hockey player Katie Mullan, rugby player Claire McLaughlin, boxer Carl Frampton, snooker player Alex Higgins, Olympian Dame Mary Peters, and Formula One driver Eddie Irvine.
The Professional Sports sector has a wide range of different career paths for both professional athletes and those involved behind the scenes. Advancements in innovative technologies are helping to monitor and improve the health and performance of athletes, making professional sports an exciting sector to work in.
Key facts
- 59% of people in Northern Ireland participate in a sports activity at least once a month.
- The number of gyms and leisure centres in the UK more than doubled between 2011 and 2022.
- In 2021 there were approximately 106,000 people working in sports or fitness-related occupations in the UK.
Skills & Attributes
As well as qualifications and experience, there’s a range of skills and attributes employers look for in their employees. These skills can help you succeed in many careers, but these are particularly useful for this sector:
- For those interested in becoming a professional athlete or sportsperson: athletic/technical ability, persistence, determination, self-belief, physical fitness and endurance, and resilience.
- For other careers in the sector: good communication skills, being flexible and adaptable, enthusiasm, empathy, and teamwork.