This post provides detailed information on the athletic administrator job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.
(You will be able to download the athletic administrator job description template in pdf below.)
It also highlights the important requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the athletic administrator role by most employers.
What Does an Athletic Administrator Do?
An athletic administrator is responsible for managing finances, overseeing athletic programs, staff of a school, organization, or club, and scheduling events.
The athletic administrator job description entails promoting sports, recruiting staff, managing facility, budgeting, coordinating events, and complying with regulations.
It also involves overseeing post-season activities, hiring officials for games, maintaining team records, scheduling regular facility maintenance, ordering new equipment as necessary, and approving travel arrangements.
Athletic administrators work with school athletic department, managing its budgets, developing talents, organizing training schedules, and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations.
They also work to join together the sports program with the wider school program of study and assist the overall positive development of students.
An athletic administrator’s responsibilities can be as simple as assigning players and coaches to positions, managing team rosters and records, and creating team guidelines, or as complex as ensuring compliance with complex regulations and safety standards, performing strategic planning for sports, and managing facility operations and budgets.
The athletic administrator duties may also include recruiting and retaining talented athletes, coaches, and officials, supporting student-athlete well-being, and promoting positive sports culture.
Athletic administrators are also expected to ensure the smooth operation of athletic activities and adherence to policies and safety standards, developing new programs based on community interest, and training of coaching staff.
They engage in a wide variety of activities using tools and technologies, including wearable and sensor technology for athlete performance tracking, broadcasting platforms like The Cube for live streaming events, and Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
Sports management software like SportsKey and rScoolToday for scheduling and registration, and data analysis software such as Hudl and Tableau are other technologies commonly used by athletic administrators in carrying out their duties.
Athletic Administrators may also be asked to reconcile arguments between players and coaches, ensure players are academically eligible, collaborate with leagues to schedule games, and assign practice time to fields, weight rooms, and courts.
The reporting structure for athletic administrators depends on the specific institution where they work, but they ultimately answer to the chief administrator responsible for the overall operation of the school or university’s athletic program.
They usually report to the school’s superintendent or principal in a school setting, or to a higher-ranking director within a university’s athletic department.
In larger operations, such as universities or major athletic departments, athletic administrators typically report to the Director of Athletics (AD), who often serves as the head of the entire athletic program.
Where Athletic Administrators Work
Athletic administrators can work in anyplace that runs athletic programs. They work mostly for professional sports teams, school sports departments, or fitness clubs.
Countries that extensively value athletic administrators are the United States, China, Australia, and countries in Europe, such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany, which offer strong sports education and management programs, leading to well-built career prospects.
These nations invest a great deal in sports education, infrastructure, and professional leagues, creating a high demand for skilled athletic administrators to manage facilities, events, and sports organizations effectively.
Athletic Administrator Training
Formal education for athletic administrators usually involves earning a Bachelor’s degree in a related field like Sports Management, Physical Education, or or in Business, followed by a Master’s degree with concentration in athletic administration or sports administration.
This training can be obtained through schools or sports academies and can extend to certification programs.
For example, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) is one that is highly regarded within the industry and that can be of special benefit to job candidates.
Athletic Administrator Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The athletic administrator job description may consist of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities, depending on where they work:
- Manage the hiring, recruitment, and assessment of coaches and athletic department staff, ensuring a high level of competence and professionalism
- Develop and run budgets for athletic programs, allocating resources for equipment, travel, salaries, team needs, and other operational expenses
- Serve as a link between leagues, government agencies and other organizations, and respond to inquiries
- Plan, organize, and execute sports events, tournaments, competitions, and initiatives to promote community participation
- Recruit, train, and manage athletes, staff, and coaches, and also manage the maintenance and operations of sports facilities and equipment
- Manage scheduling for all athletic events, including games, practices, and facility usage, to ensure efficient use of resources and compliance with league or conference regulations
- Ensure adherence to policies, rules, and safety standards, including knowledge of sport law
- Create and manage schedules for practices, games, tournaments, and other sporting events, and handle complex logistics and marketing
- Impose academic standards on student-athletes to encourage academic achievement and eligibility for participation in athletic programs
- Develop and manage wellness and personal development programs for athletes, focusing on career planning, life skills training, and mental health
- Negotiate contracts and agreements with sponsors, vendors, and external organizations for equipment, funding, and event hosting
- Direct fundraising initiatives and build relationships with donors, community members, and alumni to secure financial support for athletic programs
- Develop marketing and promotional strategies to help grow the athletic program, and implement safety protocols and handle risks associated with sports participation
- Purchase and maintain necessary sports equipment and supplies, and manage the maintenance, safety, and upkeep of athletic facilities and equipment.
Athletic Administrator Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success
Athletic administrators require certain skills, industry knowledge, and a number of personal attributes to be successful in their job and career and to qualify for hiring by most recruiters/employers, including:
- Significant Experience: Athletic administrators can acquire work experience through taking up roles in sports management, leadership skill development, compliance, coaching, and budgeting. The athletic administrator’s work experience is mostly gained from the beginning of their career through volunteering, part-time roles, or internships.
- Financial Management: Athletic administrators need to understand how to handle funds, manage revenue, and ensure financial stability for the athletic department. They must learn how to create and manage budgets, forecast expenses, and make informed financial decisions to ensure the program’s financial health and sustainability.
- Facility Management: Athletic administrators need the technical knowledge to manage and make the most effective use of sports facilities, equipment, and other resources to ensure they are adequate and safe for participants and also meet the needs of athletes and programs.
- Data Analysis: This involves the ability to analyze data to track and improve program performance, make informed decisions, and understand trends within the athletic department. It’s very important for athletic administrators to make an effective use of athletic activities for the overall success of the team.
- Strategic Planning: Athletic administrators must be ready to develop long-term plans, strategies, and visions to promote the overall success of the athletic program, leveraging technology and data for effective execution.
- Knowledge of Sports Regulations and Compliance: Athletic administrators must understand and apply federal, state, and institutional rules related to sports, safety, and health as a fundamental technical requirement. They need to ensure that the athletic program adheres to all the relevant rules, regulations, and policies set by governing bodies like the NCAA.
- Marketing and Promotion: Athletic administrators need to possess the technical skills in marketing to promote athletic programs, teams, and events successfully. They must use marketing strategies to generate interest and support university athletics.
- First Aid/CPR: It’s necessary for athletic administrators to hold certifications in First Aid and CPR to ensure readiness for emergencies. If an athlete develops injury, the administrator will use their expertise in First Aid to get the appropriate remedy.
- Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Tools: Some roles, such as athletic administration, may require familiarity with sports medicine and rehabilitation techniques, and the tools and software used in these areas of specialization.
- Data Management: This is one of the technical skills for athletic administrators to have to be able to manage different databases, such as those for athlete information, suppliers, and sporting goods. This will allow for effective resources allocation and tracking.
- IT and Software Proficiency: Athletic administrators need to have the knowledge of sports management software, word processing, spreadsheet, and other computer tools required for managing data, streamlining operations, and improving efficiency.
- Budgeting: Having some budgeting skills will enable athletic administrators to create, oversee, and maintain departmental budgets for different purposes, such as equipment, facilities, travel, and salaries.
- Event Management: For athletic administrators to be able to plan, organize, and execute athletic tournaments, events, and travel logistics effectively, they need to have strong event management skills.
- Effective Communication: Athletic administrators need to possess excellent communication skills to interact with different stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, and staff, among others.
- Organizational Skills: Athletic Administrators need the ability to plan and organize facilities, programs, events, travels, budgets, paperwork, and schedules for effective operation of their department. They take care of many of the logistical details involved with game schedules and management, and other technical issues.
- Honesty: Athletic administrators need to be honest in their role and stick to their word to gain respect from athletes and coaches. Administrators who play by the rules and keep the best interest of the athletes at all times are usually respected by athletes and coaches.
- Leadership: Athletic administrators must inspire vision and guide teams through strategic planning, to help them manage the coaching staff. Leadership skills for the athletic administrator role are a must have. Administrators need management expertise to maintain a department of well-rounded, ethical, and highly regarded coaches.
Download athletic administrator job description template (pdf).
Athletic Administrator Job Description for Resume
If you have worked before as an athletic administrator or are presently working in that role and are making a resume or CV for a new job, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience for your resume by applying the sample athletic administrator job description provided above.
You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as an athletic administrator in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the above athletic administrator job description example.
This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful working as an athletic administrator, which can boost your chances of getting the new job, especially if it requires someone with some athletic administrator work experience.
Conclusion
This post has provided detailed coverage of the athletic administrator job description, highlighting the major responsibilities and duties that they typically perform.
Individuals interested in the athletic administrator career will find this post helpful in learning all they need to know about the work they do.
Employers looking to find and hire competent athletic administrators will also find this article useful in making a detailed and effective job description for the athletic administrator role. In fact, they can apply the athletic administrator job description template provided on this page in making one for their organization.
