Менеджмент

Sports management includes planning, organizing, marketing and evaluating within an organization 1 that provides activities, products or services related to sport and fitness.

The two primary areas of sports management are the spectator sports industry which focuses on consumer entertainment and fitness industry which concentrates on consumer participation in sports activities.

The term “manager” means a person responsible for the management of an entity (for example, a sports facility, a club) according to financial and other targets established by the employing authority and within agreed financial resource provision” 2.

Successful sports managers are generally associated with three common elements. First, they possess good professional skills and positive personal qualities. Second, they have some form of education in the discipline of sports management. Third, they have some real life experience in managing some sports programmes.

Characteristics of a sports manager. His/her background might be a teacher of physical education, an economist, an engineer, etc., but he/she will need specific skills in the following areas related to sport:

1)administration, organization, legislation, economics/financing;

2)applied sociology, marketing, public relations;

3)maintenanceandnewtechniquessuchasdataprocessing,computer technology, etc. He/she should be able to take decisions, achieve results and lead the staff.

Personal qualities required include leadership, diplomacy, flexibility, communication skills, creativity, self-criticism, loyalty, capacity to win respect of others.

He/she should have university (or comparable) education, the top level manager will probably have a post-graduate qualification.

There are numerous employment opportunities for sports managers

which include athletic administration, management of sports clubs and facilities, sports retailing, sports and leisure social services, sports marketing and promotion and others.

Athletic administration. There are many job opportunities in the field of athletic administration. One such position is director of athletics. The director of athletics is responsible for the administration of competitive athletic programmes at high schools, colleges and universities.

These include hiring and ongoing supervision of coaches and assistant coaches 3. The athletic director must be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations governing athletic competitions4. Other responsibilities are: scheduling of athletic competitions, arranging for officials, transportation, accommodation and meals of athletes. The athletic director is also responsible for the safety of the coaches, athletes and spectators at home competitions. This involves working closely with security personnel. The second popular position is director of industrial recreation. More and more companies are providing recreational and sports opportunities for their employees. Responsibilities associated with this position are wide. One of the primary responsibilities is to promote participation. This requires working out a programme of activities, setting up athletic teams, scheduling contests, instructing and supervising personnel.

Sports facilities management. Sports facilities managers direct community, municipal and commercial facilities such as aquatic centers, ice arenas,stadiums,sportscomplexes,golfcourses,etc.Thegrowingnumber of fitness centers and health clubs need managing too. In some situations the sports facility managers may have additional responsibilities for instance to teach exercise classes at a fitness club. The main concerns of the sports facility manager are the safety of the individuals using the facilityandbusinessaspectsofmanagingthefacility.Itmustbescheduled to ensure maximum use and profit.

Sports retailing. The growing interest in sport, fitness and physical activities has stimulated the sales of sporting goods – equipment, apparel and shoes. The position of manufacturer’s representative requires a lot of travelling, spending hours on the phone making appointments with potential buyers, sporting stores and athletic teams. A consumer of sporting goods expects the representatives to be experts in all types of sports equipment and goods they sell. The representatives’main concern is to increase their company’s share of the market.

Qualified managers can find employment in professional or specific sports organizations suchassportsfederationsandassociations.Entrylevel managerialpositions5 dealwiththeday-to-dayrunningoftheorganization. Other positions may include fund raising, handling public relations, conducting membership, directing special projects.

Notes:

1 evaluating within an organization – оценка и анализ в организации.

2 ...according to financial and other targets established by the employing authority and within agreed financial resources provision. – ...в соответствии с финансовыми и дру-

гими плановыми показателями, предложенными нанимателем, и в пределах оговоренных финансовых возможностей.

3 hiring and ongoing supervision of coaches and assistant coaches – найм и текущий контроль за работой тренеров и их помощников.

4 ...must be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations governing athletic competitions. – ...должен знать правила проведения спортивных соревнований.

5 entry level managerial positions – зд. самые маленькие управленческие должности.

Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

XI. Answer the following questions to discuss the text in detail. Refer to the text if necessary:

1.What does the term “a sports manager” mean?

2.Must a sports manager have the educational background of a PE teacher?

3.What specific skills should a sports manager have?

4.What personal qualities does sports management require?

5.What are the employment opportunities in sports management?

XII. Choose the phrase which best completes each sentence:

1.The two primary areas of sports management are ...

a)participatory sport;

b)sports show;

с) spectator sport and fitness.

2.The growing interest in sport and fitness has stimulated ...

a)the sales of sporting goods;

b)the sales of sports magazines;

с) the sales of instruction books.

3.The main concern of the sports facility manager is ...

a)scheduling the time;

b)stimulating participation;

с) getting profit.

4.Qualified sports managers can find employment at ...

a)sports federations and associations;

b)hospitals;

с) elementary school.

XIII. Make a list of international words used in the text. Learn their meaning and pronunciation.

XIV. Name the words which mean the following:

XV. Classify specific skills of a sports manager according to the basic classification of skills required to run a business (consult Text A).

XVI. Say,whatyouhavelearnedaboutthecareersinsportsmanagement in the USA; what job opportunities sports managers have in Belarus.

Task III. Read Text C to get more information about American college soccer team managers. Make a list of new words and expressions while reading it.

Text С

College Soccer Team Managers1

Remember:

spotter n – наблюдатель announcer n – судья-информатор

A lot of people take part in the preparation for a soccer season. Fields have to be groomed and lined, goals netted, balls pumped up, other equipment repaired and checked for safety, training suits washed, audiovisual equipment checked, travel arrangements and hotel reservations made.The list goes on. No one person can do it all.We need

nine managers to help us. The college employs some full-time and hires part-time managers for the season only. For example, one of the college

programmemanagersmakestravelarrangementsforall15ofourathletic

teams. His job is to reserve a bus for a specific time and date, make hotel reservations and deliver to the head coach a check to pay for meals and accommodation.

Another manager is an administrative assistant. He checks the eligibility of our players 2 and their progress in studies, arranges for the permissions when the players have to miss their classes because of travel, oversees the design and printing of promotional materials, doesphotography and supplies visual aids during matches.

The audiovisual production manager, the fields manager and the equipment manager are present at all practices and home matches.

For matches at home we use a statistician and a spotter. We also use a greeter who meets the opponent team on their arrival and takes care of their needs. Our field manager is very carefully selected and trained becausehesupervisestheothermanagersexceptfortheprogrammanagers (travel and administration).

We treat our managers with respect and dignity and make them feel part of the team. In turn I expect them to do their job promptly, correctly and cheerfully.

Budget restrictions don’t allow us to take the managers to away matches, but they are part of every team.

Ofcoursebesidesourmanagersthecollegeemployssecuritypersonnel, an announcer and an activities director for special events before or after the match or during halftime.

Notes:

1 from “Coaching Soccer Successfully” by Roy Rees: Human Kinetics, USA, 1996.

2 He checks the eligibility of our players... – зд. Он проверяет правомерность включе-

ния наших игроков в состав команды...

Comprehension and Speech Exercises

XVII. Work in three groups:

Group A. Read aloud the sentences describing the responsibilities of programme managers.

Group B. Read aloud the sentences describing the managers needed for home matches.

Group C. Read aloud the sentences describing the jobs which the Belarusian soccer club managers might do.

4)public Relations Director – менеджер по связям с общественностью;

5)director Responsible for Grants and Fund-Raising – менеджер по финансам (эконо-

мист);

6)job-Placement Officer – менеджер по вопросам трудоустройства;

7)equipment Officer – специалист по оборудованию;

8)club Historian – историк клуба;

9)exercise Physiologist – спортивный физиолог;

10)physiotherapist – физиотерапевт (реабилитолог);

11)nutritionist – диетолог.

Text D

Swimming ClubAdministration

1.Clubs conducted on a business basis, where profit is a necessary concern, are becoming common in Canada. The facilities may or may not be owned by the club. Club policies are usually decided by a Board of Directors and the club is administered by the Board Members with the assistance of various committees.

2.A swimming club, like any other organization, is only as good as the people who run it. The success of an individual swimmer rests to a large extent upon1 the strength of the club administration. Therefore it is obvious that its structure should be thought over.

3.The Club Executive, or Board of Directors, is a group of people

whose job is to assist the coach in every aspect necessary for the efficient administration of the club. Fund-raising is one of the Executive’s major responsibilities. It is also concerned with involving the membership in club activities. For the best results the Executive should be small, forming committees only when necessary.Although needs may vary from club to club, the following format will serve as a guide for setting up a club administration.

4. At the Annual Meeting the following positions should be elected:

President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer. The President is a key figure of the club. The President should demonstrate the power of leadership and organizing ability.Ability to work alone and to delegate work is essential. The Vice-President should be capable of taking over 2 in the absence of the President. This person should have overall responsibility for the organization of home swim-meets, including training officials 3. Both the Secretary and the Treasurer should be efficient and reliable.TheTrea-

surer’s job is important in any organization. The Club Treasurer should be experienced in dealing with money matters. This person will work together with the President and Head Coach in preparing the budget.

5.The Head Coach should represent the coaching staff to the Executive. He presents long and short-term plans and projected budgetary requirements. Frequently, sometimes as often as day-to-day, communication between Head Coach and President is very important.

6.Other Directors should be appointed if necessary. These are the positions which may or may not be required: Public Relations Director, Director Responsible for Grants and Fund-Raising, Job-Placement Officer. The Public Relations Director will direct all work dealing with

publicity and promotion. Such person should be dynamic, capable of dealing with people. Media coverage 4 – television, radio, pressis necessary at all levels: national, provincial, local. The Director’s of Grants and Fund-Raising main area of concern are financial support for athletes, provincial and national, and fund-raising for club needs. This area is the “life-blood” of any organization.AJob-Placement Officer can be appointed to handle job-placement. Considerable time must be spent to find employment for students during vacations and for the swimmers of less-affluent families. This is not an easy task as hours must fit in with training times and meet schedules.

7. The success of a swimming club depends as well on the following people. An Equipment Officer should be appointed to take care of the maintenance and repair of all club equipment: video-tape, stop-watches, electronic timing systems, weight-training equipment, etc. A Club Historian should keep records of all results as well as a file containing information on club swimmers.This data is useful for presentation to the media as well as providing information to support the club program.

8.Anaccommodationmanageris in charge of accommodation which is of growing importance as more swimmers move away from home to carry out their training. There are two major areas of responsibility: arranging accommodation for out-of-town swimmers, and organizing billeting5 for visiting teams.

9.A Team Doctor should have a strong knowledge of sports medi-

cine. This experience is necessary for testing and measuring the physical condition and capabilities of athletes and monitoring conditioning on an on-going basis6. The doctor might also diagnose and treat illnesses and

injuries. Exercise Physiologist may assist theTeam Doctor in administering tests and measurements. Physiotherapist can play an important role as a masseur at swim meets as well as take a day-to-day care of athletes through massage.ANutritionist in collaboration with the coach and doctor can help determine the day-to-day nutritional needs of all athletes involved in the training programme, diagnose inadequacies in diet and monitor the eating habits of the team.

Notes:

1 ...rests to a large extent upon... – ...базируется в большей степени на...

2 ...should be capable of taking over... – ...должен суметь заменить...

3 ...including training officials. – ...включая подготовку судей.

4 media coverage – освещение в средствах массовой информации. 5 organizing billeting – организация расселения.

6 on an on-going basis – на долговременной основе.

Comprehension and Speech Exercises

XXI. Reread the text and fill in the boxes of the pyramid to illustrate the management hierarchy of a Canadian swimming club.

Supervisory Management

XXII. Reread the text and say, who does the following jobs in a Canadian swimming club:

–assists the coaches in every aspect;

–takes care of fund-raising;

–takes care of club membership;

–oversees training officials;

–deals with money matters;

–prepares the budget;

–oversees promotion;

–provides financial support for athletes;

–finds jobs for students;

–makes travel arrangements;

–repairs travel equipment;

–keeps records of club history;

–takes care of physical condition of athletes;

–takes a day-to-day care of athletes through massage;

–determines day-to-day nutritional needs.

XXIII. Using the following phrases describe the hierarchy and responsibilities within any sports organization you know:

–a university sports club;

–a fitness club;

–a soccer (basketball, handball...) club.

1.The sports club is headed by ...

2.The Board of Directors decides ...

3.The President and Vice-President are elected at ...

4.The President is in charge of ...

5.The Vice-President is responsible for ...

6.The Head Coach is supported by ...

7.The Public Relations Manager is answerable to ...

8.The Equipment officer is appointed by ...

9.The Team Doctor is assisted by ...

10.The Nutritionist reports to ...

11.TheAccommodation Manager takes care of ...

Listening and Speaking

I. Listen to the dialogue and trade the roles. Follow the tape-script if necessary.

Dialogue: What do you actually do, Frank?

Remember:

market research – изучение конъюнктуры рынка sales target – плановое (контрольное) задание по сбыту cost n – стоимость, издержки на

load n – загрузка

D. Hunt. What do you actually do, Frank?

F. Willson. I carry responsibility for the marketing activities. It includes product planning, advertising, which covers TV advertising, market research and public relations (PR).