Study Sport Development and Management at Otago

Hello, my name is Mike Sam. I’m an associate professor in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, and I work in the Sport Development and Management major.

Now, sport development is really about getting more people to play more. And not only that, it’s about getting the people that are in sport already to play better. To that end, we’re interested in what motivates individuals and what keeps them engaged.

At the same time, sport is a pretty major part of our society and culture. Because of that, we’re interested in what the surroundings are for sport—the society and the economy. Around those things, we ask questions about large-scale sport events. We ask questions about how much money should go into elite sport, for instance.

Sport is also a tool used by various other parts of society and the public sector. It’s used for health, it’s used as a tool for education. For instance, it’s used for youth at risk, in prisons, to develop the individual as well as to help individuals reintegrate or integrate into their communities.

The jobs that come out of sport development and management are quite varied, but largely, the entry-level job is a sport development officer. These officers are responsible for developing coaches, fostering the volunteers that work in sport, and running the events that we take for granted. It’s quite a large area, and there’s a lot of movement across different sports and up into professional sport as well.

Essentially, our labs are really everywhere—they are in the communities, in schools, on the sports fields, and ultimately in the countries that we try to learn lessons from as well. New Zealand is quite a leader in sport development, and our department is at the top of universities that offer this program. We’re 12th ranked, and our reputation stands by itself.

What you would be taking in your first year depends on what your strengths are. We’re one of the only programs that offer a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Bachelor of Science in Sport Development and Management. While we encourage you to be multidisciplinary and we want you to have an understanding of science, it’s not necessary to complete the degree itself. You can take a minor from any number of other programs, including commerce, anthropology, and so on.

Our students are really in demand because we still offer a varied program, and we teach the skills that employers are looking for. Our graduates are usually personable and fit well in any industry, including sport.

So what we’re thinking about when we try to teach you is not just about your first job but really about your lifelong learning and your lifelong career aspirations.