Leisure centre manager
Organise the services and staff at a leisure centre so people can take part in sports and exercise.
Also known as: sports centre manager, centre director
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£423
Entry level
£577
Experienced
Monthly
£1,833
Entry level
£2,500
Experienced
Yearly
£22,000
Entry level
£30,000
Experienced
4,600
people are currently employed
High growth
300 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would organise the services and staff at a leisure centre so people can take part in sports and exercise.
You’d be responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre and its facilities, such as:
Swimming pools
Sports halls
Gyms
Outdoor facilities such as dry ski-runs
Facilities for the arts
You’d be responsible for making sure that the centre visitors have an enjoyable time. You’d need to ensure that all the equipment works properly and that staff follow health and safety procedures.
You would:
Arrange timetables for activities
Organise ticket sales, booking and catering
Organise and promote events
Recruit and manage staff
Control budgets
Take responsibility for health and safety
Oversee marketing and promotional activities
You’d work with sports organisations to promote special events and schemes. You’d also promote the centre to external organisations, such as local authorities.
It would be important to be interested in physical fitness and sport.
Hours
Environment
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- mentoring
- making decisions
- delegating
- coaching
- managing resources
- attention to detail
- respecting
- verbal communication
- supporting
- cooperating
Your skills are important
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Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Business Management
Care
PE (Physical education)
Skills for Work: Sport and Recreation
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role but experience in sports-related work is essential and related qualifications are of value.
General sports, fitness and coaching courses are available at National Certificate and National Qualification level (SCQF level 3-6).
Golf Facility Management is available at Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma level (SCQF level 7/8) and require National 4/5 qualifications and one to two Highers at C or above for entry.
Most Sports Management courses are at degree level (SCQF level 9/10) and entry generally requires National 5 qualifications and a minimum of three Highers or a relevant HND.
An alternative route is a degree in a subject like Business Management and a Post Graduate qualification (SCQF level 11) in a sports-related subject.
Qualifications and experience that show understanding of the industry, helping customers, business and management skills such as Skills for Work Sports and Recreation (SCQF level 4/5) or Leadership Award (SCQF level 5/6).
Relevant work-based qualifications such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Leisure Management (SVQ level 7) or be willing to work towards qualifications once in a job.
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