Sports Management as a Career in India: What It Pays, What It Requires

Sports management in India is a real industry with real salaries and real entry pathways. It is also a small industry relative to the enthusiasm around it, which means the gap between what courses promise and what entry-level hiring actually delivers is larger than most students expect.

An honest picture requires both sides.

The actual state of the industry

India’s sports economy has grown significantly in the last decade. The IPL, ISL, PKL, PBL and other professional leagues have created genuine demand for event operations managers, marketing executives, franchise employees, broadcast professionals and athlete management specialists. SAI and Khelo India have expanded government-side demand for sports administrators and programme coordinators.

That said, the total number of professional sports management jobs in India at any given time is far smaller than in mature sports markets. Entry-level roles are competitive, salaries at entry are modest and growth depends heavily on which organisation you start with and what specific experience you accumulate in the first five years.

This is a career for people who want to be in sport professionally and are prepared to start lower than they might in other sectors, knowing that the ceiling rises sharply once you have real operational experience at a professional level.

What roles exist and what they pay

Risk Ladder and Career Planning

Sports Management Career Ladder in India

Senior / leadership · ₹20 LPA+

CEO of a sports company, federation director, head of sports for a PSU, national team manager.

Mid-level · ₹8–15 LPA

Marketing manager, athlete manager, sponsorship executive, club general manager, sports journalist.

Entry level · ₹3–5 LPA

Operations executive, events coordinator, club administrator, content creator (sports media).

Entry to mid: 3 to 5 years. Mid to senior: 5 to 10 years. The senior roles pay well and the entry roles are competitive to get; a former athlete has one structural advantage at both levels.

Event operations: Managing venue logistics, scheduling, accreditation and broadcast coordination for tournaments and leagues. Entry-level: ₹3 to 4 LPA. Senior operations heads at national tournaments: ₹12 to 20 LPA.

Marketing and sponsorship: Brand partnerships, sponsor servicing, content and digital. Entry-level at a franchise or federation: ₹3 to 5 LPA. Sponsorship heads at major franchises: ₹15 to 25 LPA.

Athlete management: Representing athletes in contract negotiations, endorsements and career planning. This role typically requires prior industry relationships and often starts as a sub-function within a larger sports agency rather than a standalone entry-level position.

Franchise operations: Working within an IPL, ISL or PKL team’s management structure across scouting, performance analysis, travel coordination and operations. Entry-level roles exist but are few and highly contested.

Government and federation roles: SAI, NSFs and Khelo India create administrative, programme management and coaching coordination roles. These are more stable and structured than franchise roles, with government pay scales.

Published placement data from the International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) in Mumbai shows average packages of ₹3.18 LPA for Bachelor of Sports Management graduates and ₹4.11 LPA for Master of Sports Management graduates, with a highest package of ₹7.50 LPA. Senior professionals with five to seven years of IPL or ISL experience and a strong network typically earn ₹15 to 25 LPA. Verify current figures directly with institutions.

Which institutions matter in this field

Risk Ladder and Career Planning

Where to Study, Who Hires

Where to study

• XLRI Jamshedpur (Sports Management elective)
• Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Pune
• KJ Somaiya, Mumbai (Sports Management Program)
• ISM Dhanbad (Sports Economics)
• Loughborough / IMG Academy (international)

Who hires

• IMG Reliance (India's largest sports management company)
• JSW Sports
• BCCI, AIFF, BAI (federations)
• SAI and the Khelo India Directorate
• GoSports Foundation
• IPL/ISL/PKL franchise operations teams
• Star Sports / Sony LIV (media)

The course matters less than the internships and networks you build while in it.

IISM Mumbai is the most established sports management institution in India, with the longest track record of industry placements. They offer a Bachelor of Sports Management, a Master of Sports Management and a shorter Post Graduate Programme. The IIM Mumbai collaboration for a one-year PGDSM is an additional option.

ISST (Indian School of Sports) and similar institutions offer certificate and diploma programmes with varying industry recognition.

For graduates with a non-sports background looking to enter the industry, a one-year PG programme at a recognised sports management institution plus an industry internship is the standard entry path. The internship matters more than the institution name.

General management degrees such as an MBA in Sports Management are offered by a smaller number of institutions and typically command higher salaries because they sit at the intersection of general management competence and sports sector knowledge.

What it takes to get in and stay

The institutional credential opens the door to interviews. What actually determines whether you are hired and whether you progress is your direct experience of how sport operations work at the professional level.

This means internships during the course, volunteering at tournaments and leagues, building direct familiarity with how franchises and federations function before you apply for full-time roles.

The sector is small enough that most hiring decisions in it involve someone who knows someone. Building a genuine network in sport, starting from institutional connections and extending through every event you work at, is not optional. It is the primary career tool in this industry.

The former athlete’s advantage and its limits

Former athletes genuinely know how sport feels from the inside. They understand athlete psychology, training environments and how competition operates in a way that no classroom can replicate. In roles involving athlete relations, player management, performance analysis or high-performance programme coordination, this is a real advantage that experienced hiring managers recognise.

The limits of this advantage: knowing sport does not mean knowing the business of sport. Former athletes who enter sports management often underestimate how much of the role involves administrative, financial and relationship management work that has nothing to do with competition itself. The athletes who build the best sports management careers are the ones who take the business side as seriously as they took their training.