Five Reasons Why You Should Consider a Career as a Sports Turf Manager

The article is a guest contribution from Shana Brenner Marketing Director of CoverSports, an American manufacturer of turf protectors, rain covers and windscreens with roots tracing back to 1874.

You don’t need to possess an incredible vertical leap or master diagramming touchdown-scoring pass plays to have a career in the sports industry. If you have an undying love of sports, working behind the scenes in sports turf management can offer a fulfilling career path.

Sports turf managers are the front line of defense for a team that wants to keep its home field in a safe and playable condition throughout the season. Football, baseball and soccer fields all wear down through repeated use unless properly maintained. As a sports turf manager, you take the lead in repairing and restoring the grass athletes and coaches tear apart each week. It’s a rewarding feeling knowing you play a behind-the-scenes, yet important, role in their success.

If you are undecided about pursuing sports turf manager jobs, consider these five reasons why it might be exactly the career you should consider:

1) Job security

Finding a job after college can be a real concern for many graduates. If you’re not sure of what you want, it can be several months before you land a permanent full-time job with opportunity for career growth. Sports turf manager jobs offer security and stability in an economic climate where such things increase in value each day.

More than 90 percent of graduates who earn a degree in sports turf management land a job right out of college. Few industries can rival that success rate.

There is always high demand for sports turf managers at stadiums, golf courses and other athletic facilities throughout the nation. It isn’t just a seasonal job, either. Many sports turf management jobs are full-time throughout the calendar year.

2) Growth opportunities

When you dive into a career in sports turf management, it really gives you a chance to flex your mental muscles.

Sports turf managers need to draw on an educational foundation that includes chemistry, biology and mathematics. It is an occupation where creativity, good communication skills and problem solving abilities help you flourish.

You take the lead in developing site plans for an athletic field. In implementing these plans, you gain plenty of hands-on practical experience in fertilizing, irrigating, pest management, operating machinery and other important aspects of turf management.

3) Applied sports knowledge

This is not an occupation solely concerned with mowing grass.

Sports turf manager jobs require a passion for sports, and an in-depth knowledge of relevant sports. If you are tasked with maintaining a golf course, for example, you will need to play the course to get a working knowledge of every hole. You need to know firsthand how well it plays and how safe everything from sand traps to greens are for the golfers who use that course.

Sports turf managers can better understand what field conditions are best for athletes when they put knowledge they gained from playing into action.

4) Leadership roles

Sports turf managers are typically responsible for managing a crew that assists in maintaining a golf course or athletic field. This career offers many chances to progress and grow as a leader. You get to make the call on what activities are most suitable for your athletic field or golf course and condition it for those activities. This can involve decisions on everything from which pesticides to use to which design will work best for a golf course.

Sports turf managers must be good communicators. They are the ones who keep everyone in the crew on the same page so that maintenance tasks get done right the first time. It is the perfect job for someone who wants to refine their verbal communication skills in a professional setting.

5) Work environment

Who wouldn’t love to spend all day working at a golf course or in a football stadium?

That’s exactly the sort of work environment a sports turf manager gets to enjoy. In this occupation, you can work for professional sports teams, resorts, country clubs and local community governments. Sports turf managers can be directly employed by these clients or be self-employed and work with them on a contract basis. If you love being outside, an outdoor work environment can feel fulfilling on many levels.

Enjoying fresh air and sunshine beats being stuck in a cubicle in an office building any day of the week.

Plant a career

If you love sports and want a career that allows you to have a role in it, sports turf manager jobs can fit the bill. It offers a chance to apply sound science to maintaining athletic fields and golf courses, and to greatly influence safety and playability through your maintenance plans.

Few careers can rival the potential for job security and career growth offered by sports turf management.