How to Build a Network in the Sports Industry?

Published On: February 28, 2025

Network is Net Worth. The ultimate truth of any industry.

If you want to advance in your career, build a strong portfolio, and collaborate with industry experts, networking is a vital skill that you should acquire as a sports professional.

Success does not come in isolation; you must go out, showcase your skills, and connect with people who can help you advance your career.

However, networking is challenging at times or at the beginning of your career as you are clueless about how to even start with. Especially when you are in the dynamic yet competitive sports industry. Whether you wish to make a career in sports business or sports science domain, along with your talent & skills, networking in the sports industry will open many doors.

The benefits of networking in the sports industry:

1. Career Advancement: Landing a job is not the final stop, rather this is the starting point for your professional trajectory. To keep your career graph upward, networking is one of the valuable skills that a sports professional should leverage.

Find out your niche area of work, like Sports Marketing, Strategic Management, Sports Events, and so on. Have a vision of where you want to see yourself in the future, and that will give you clarity as to who you want to see in your professional circle.

Networking with the right people opens the doors to many opportunities. Also remember, it’s important who you know but it’s more important who knows you in the industry.

2. Industry Knowledge: One of the best ways to gain expert knowledge is to be with Experts. Building relationships with Sports industry professionals will help you acquire a deep understanding of the subject or company. You can learn to forecast many aspects of the sports market and how it will shape the future from analyzing their previous experiences & insights.

3. Collaboration Opportunities: Whether you want to establish your startup in sports or want to work on new projects in the industry or suppose you want to shift your domain from sports broadcasting to sports education, strong networking will make that happen for you and will lead you towards your vision. This way, not only can you grow in building a portfolio, but you can also build your net worth.

10 Best Tips for building a Network in the Sports Industry:

1. Participate in Sports Networking Events:

What’s the best way to start networking in the industry than visiting networking events & conferences?

It provides a great opportunity to meet people with the same passion for sports and to greet industry experts from different verticals, like, the founders, and the start-up owners. Go to them, introduce yourself, start conversations, be a good listener, and find common interests. Sharing the affinity for the same sports or your favorite athletes can keep your conversations going.

Networking conferences like Khel Paath Sala, HR Conclave, and Mind The Gap are a few of the good networking events that you can visit in Mumbai, India.

2. Leverage Social Media Platforms:

Social media is a game changer! No doubt about it! There are ample examples of people acquiring jobs and collaborating through LinkedIn. So, you have a platform that you can leverage for your growth. If you want to write about grassroots sports or share your knowledge on sports journalism, make social media your ritual.

It could be creating long content on YouTube or reels on Instagram, writing blogs on your website, or putting your thoughts on Twitter & LinkedIn. This way, you can always connect with the right person at the right time with the right opportunity.

3. Keep Yourself Updated: If You are Out of The Trend, You are Out of the Game.

Staying updated with the sports business, sports market trends, and sports events is pivotal for networking in the industry. See, networking in any industry is about socializing, but with professionals with similar interests. So, if you’re aligned with industry news, you can contribute to the conversations, which will help you make bonds with the right connections. Follow key influencers or sports business experts on social media and subscribe to genuine channels on YouTube.

Here are a few websites to follow that cover various aspects of the industry. Like, Sportbusiness.com, Sportico.com, sportsbusinessjournal.com, Forbes SportsMoney, and CNBC Sports. One old-school tip, yet effective, is to read the daily Newspaper which boosts your resources impressively.

4. Internship & Work Exposures:

If you want to meet & work with the experts of the sports industry, like marketers, Government personnel, sports event managers, strategic managers, and more experts from various sectors, volunteering in sports events or sports organizations is one of the best ways to build networking in the industry.

Work exposures & internships at IISM always provide its students with the opportunity to work with some of the biggest sporting events & organizations, such as IPL, ICC, WPL, FIFA, SAI, Khelo India, and National Games to name a few. As a result, this helps students build a successful career path for the future.

5. Connect with Industry Experts:

Suppose you want to begin your sports career in the grassroots sports sector, connect with the industry experts in that domain. You can always send them an email and connect with them on a professional network like LinkedIn. However, ask them valid, insightful questions, or let them know your background and ask for their guidance. Be careful not to ask for a job immediately. Draw a line between transactional networking and authentic networking.

Attending a master class about your field is a great way to build connections with industry stalwarts. In the masterclass conducted at IISM, students get the chance to talk with the speaker in person and forge a professional connection further.

6. Find a mentor:

Embarking in the right direction requires the right mentor. The dynamic verticals of the sports industry might seem overwhelming to new professionals. If you want to understand the real-time responsibilities of sports events, you require that insight to handle the task on the spot, and only an experienced mentor can guide you in this situation.

If you are marketing for any sports product (Decathlon) or any product through sports marketing (Bournvita) or promoting any celebrity athlete, a mentor can help you navigate the complexities of the task. Moreover, if you identify your mentor while pursuing Sports Management/Sports Science, it will help you sharpen your knowledge at the foundation level.

7. The Don’ts:

Let’s talk about what you shouldn’t do. Networking is crucial to ladder up in your career. But sometimes it can backfire if you overdo it.

Everyone wants to join their dream company or work with their favorite athlete. But reaching out shouldn’t feel like stalking them. As already mentioned above, keep the balance between authentic networking & transactional networking.

8. Connect with Your Alumni:

The connection barriers are less while making a good rapport with your seniors at the institute. If you find any alumnus or senior working at any organization that you’re interested in, reach out to them and ask about their experience. Most alumni want to help their fellow alumni. Building a good relationship with them could be your first point to make your professional circle.

9. Explore Beyond:

Sports industry is niche, but broad. There are more in sports than sports leagues & sports agencies. There are many services and products that are relevant to sports. Like sports education institutes, sports merchandise & goods, sports training centers etc. Explore the companies and brands that deal in sports goods, e-sports, sports nutrition, and sports technology, to name a few. Working with those brands that market through sports can be a great start to making your career in the field of your passion.

10. Think outside the box:

Networking builds by creating value in the way. It’s important to connect with more relevant people in the sports industry and exchange your thoughts and insights with them.

However, adding some value with your talent & skills to their work is pivotal too. For that, you should identify your niche, like if you want to create sports content on social media for your favorite athlete community or any media house, curate some content for free at first, ask for their feedback, and show your sincerity in learning & adapting to that responsibility.

The right professionals always want to help you, but you must showcase interest, channel your knowledge into skills, and present yourself before the right person at the right time.

Finally, to fit in any industry takes time. Many doors close before the one opens. Being patient, dedicated, and continually honing your skills will help you become the best version of yourself. You will reach the milestone for sure but don’t forget to enjoy the journey along the way.