World Cup careers

I am a great supporter of sport, though. And, I’m as excited as anyone about the World Cup that has just kicked off, and the opportunity to get involved with the passion, patriotism (and perhaps, the ‘piss-up’) that big sporting events such as these this offer.

I asked my little nephew what he wants to be when he grows up. “Rooney,” he replied. I don’t know if identity theft is something little Aled should really be aspiring to, but perhaps he will one day end up being the sports star that he dreams of being. The celebrity status, sponsorship deals and associated perks that come with being a professional sportsperson make it quite an attractive career prospect for many, but what are your options if you’ve got a brilliant business brain, but you’re a world-class bench-warmer!?

There is a surprisingly long list of career options that might appeal to those entrepreneurs who are mad about their sports, but who are more interested in the ‘sport support’ side of the industry than the actual on-field antics.

A major sporting event such as the World Cup requires input from hundreds of specialist employees, from the people who construct and maintain the stadiums and playing fields, to those who are employed at the event to take tickets, work in the bars and cafe areas, and police out-of-control spectators. Then of course there’s the marketing people representing the respective teams and the event itself, and the media representatives who capture the event in words, film and photographs and deliver it across the globe. Don’t forget those chaps who everyone loves to hate - the referees, as well as the coaches, managers, nutritionists, surgeons, and physiotherapists who are participating in the event, and also those who have participated in each players’ sporting careers leading up to the event. Not all may be wearing the boots, but all play their part.

If you’ll excuse the pun, there are some major pounds to be made from helping people keep them off. Health and fitness are major social concerns, with schools and governments spending thousands on programmes that aim to increase the amount of physical activity people, especially youngsters are doing, with the overarching aim of improve citizens’ health overall.

As we look forward to the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympic Games, there is sure to be even more of a surge of interest in sport, so it is an excellent time to benefit from a sports-related franchise, business or career. It’s definitely something worth investigating.

Now, this is a true story – and I hope that through airing it, I can in some way appease the sporting Gods and they’ll lift my curse. I was in a basketball team as a pre-teen (but not so pre-teen that this didn’t haunt me for the majority of my upper primary, high school, and even, yes, post-school life) and my team was ‘The Sharks’, in a very impressive white kit. The whole town had turned out to watch, or so it seemed to me, and I was very keen to show off the dribbling ‘skills’ that I’d been practicing all week. There was a back-court throw-in. I caught the ball. Happy days. I took off up-court, reciting my mantra: ‘What would Michael Jordan do?’ with visions of game-winning layups and a complimentary write-up in the local paper. But then a forward from the other team – their best player – came out to hassle me. I panicked. I looked around for a teammate. I spotted one, and passed the ball. It was quite a good pass, if I do say so myself. The only thing was, the recipient wasn’t actually one of my Shark teammates – it was the umpire – the white outfit had thrown me off. The umpire and the players were laughing so much there had to be a forced time out.

Now, pass me my squash racquet. It’s surely now time for my turn in the sun.