Professional SportspersonAlternative titles

What are the chances of getting a job?

Team sports with professional leagues offer the greatest amount of paid, full-time opportunities.

Opportunities may also be better for lifeguards, who work professionally at swimming pools and beaches, as well as competing in surf lifesaving events.

Number of professional sportspeople increasing

The number of professional sportspeople fluctuates regularly due to changes in sports funding and seasonal sports cycles. However, it has been gradually increasing – from 2,192 in 2003 to 2,945 in 2011. This is due to the growth of domestic netball and rugby competitions, and increased government funding for Olympic sports.

Though opportunities for professional sportspeople in New Zealand have increased, jobs are still limited because:

• few professional sports leagues exist in New Zealand
• government funding is limited
• competition for positions is extremely high.

Consequently, most paid sportspeople are semi-professional, earning some money from sport, and working a second job to make a living.

Career as a professional sportsperson may be short

Professional sportspeople tend to have a limited amount of time in their career. For example, the average career in rugby lasts about five years due to the physical nature of the sport. Careers in less physically intensive sports, such as golf and horse racing, are usually longer.

Types of employers varied

Professional sportspeople may be:

• employed by professional sports teams or leagues
• self-employed, and earn a living from a combination of competition prize money, scholarships and sponsorship deals.

Sports that employ significant numbers of professional sportspeople in teams or leagues include:

• rugby
• cricket
• netball.

Sportspeople who participate in Olympic sports are also more likely to be semi-professional, as some of these sports receive targeted funding from government.