● How To Guide — Careers in Rugby
How To Get A Job Or Internship In
Commercial, Marketing & Business Roles In Rugby
Every non-playing, non-coaching business role in the sport — commercial, marketing, sales, HR, admin, ticketing, PR, communications and board level — plus what qualifications, training and experience each one actually needs, globally across rugby union and rugby league.
30+ job titles covered
Union + League both codes
10 FAQs answered
The Job Roles
Business & commercial roles in rugby
Every club, union and governing body runs on a business side as much as a playing side. These roles rarely require any rugby-specific qualification — what matters is the right business skillset, sector experience, and a genuine interest in the sport.
Commercial & partnerships
- Commercial Director / Chief Commercial Officer — owns the whole revenue strategy across sponsorship, broadcast and retail.
- Partnerships Manager — manages relationships with existing sponsors and commercial partners.
- Sponsorship Sales Executive — sells new sponsorship and partnership packages.
- Business Development Manager — identifies and develops new commercial revenue streams.
Marketing & digital
- Head of Marketing / Marketing Manager — owns brand strategy and campaign planning.
- Digital & Social Media Manager — runs the club or union’s channels and online engagement.
- Content Creator / Videographer — produces match-day and behind-the-scenes content.
- Brand Manager — protects and develops the club or union’s identity and merchandise.
Sales & ticketing
- Ticketing Manager — runs the box office and ticketing system for matchdays.
- Ticket Sales Executive — sells season tickets, group bookings and matchday tickets.
- Membership Sales Executive — grows and retains the club’s membership base.
- Corporate Hospitality Sales Manager — sells and manages matchday hospitality packages.
PR & communications
- Head of Communications — owns the club or union’s overall media and reputation strategy.
- Press Officer / Media Manager — manages journalist relationships and match-day media operations.
- PR Executive — writes press releases and coordinates media coverage and interviews.
- Internal Communications Manager — manages staff and player-facing communications.
HR & people
- HR Manager / Director — owns recruitment, employee relations and policy for the whole organisation.
- People & Culture Manager — focuses on staff wellbeing, culture and engagement.
- Recruitment Officer — manages hiring across playing and non-playing staff.
- Learning & Development Officer — runs staff training and development programmes.
Admin & operations
- Operations Manager — runs the day-to-day running of the club or union’s facilities and events.
- Matchday Operations Executive — coordinates logistics for home matches.
- Office Manager / Executive Assistant — supports senior staff and manages office administration.
- Governance & Compliance Officer — ensures the organisation meets league, union and regulatory requirements.
Board & executive level
These are the most senior, least advertised roles — typically reached after a decade or more of relevant business experience, either inside or outside the sport.
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) — overall responsibility for the club, union or governing body.
- Managing Director — runs day-to-day operations reporting into the CEO or board.
- Club Chairman / Union President — usually a non-executive, often unpaid, governance role.
- Non-Executive Director — brings outside business, legal or financial expertise to the board.
Qualifications & Training
What’s needed for each role
Unlike medical or S&C roles, none of these are legally regulated professions — there’s no single mandatory qualification. What matters is a relevant degree or professional certification, plus genuine sector experience.
Commercial & partnerships
A business, marketing or sports management degree helps, but proven sales/partnership experience — in or out of sport — usually matters more than the specific degree.
Marketing & digital
A marketing or communications degree is common; a CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) qualification is well regarded, alongside a strong portfolio of campaigns or content.
Sales & ticketing
No specific degree required — clubs hire on proven sales results and CRM/ticketing-system experience (e.g. Ticketmaster, Spektrix, AudienceView) over qualifications.
PR & communications
A journalism, PR or communications degree is common, alongside a portfolio of published writing or media experience, often built through sports journalism first.
HR & people
A CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualification is the recognised UK standard; other countries have equivalent HR professional bodies. A generalist HR background transfers in directly from any industry.
Admin & operations
No specific qualification required — project management or events experience (in any sector) is directly transferable, alongside strong organisational skills.
Board & executive
Typically 10+ years of senior business, legal, financial or sports-industry experience. An IoD (Institute of Directors) qualification or equivalent is common for formal non-executive roles.
Across all roles
Sector-specific short courses — e.g. sports business, sports marketing or sports management postgraduate certificates — are widely available and can help candidates from outside the industry stand out.
Global note
Job titles, degree expectations and professional bodies vary by country (e.g. CIM/CIPD are UK-specific), but the underlying skillset — sales, marketing, HR, communications, operations — transfers across borders and both codes.
The Route In
How to get a business role in rugby
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1
Pick your specialism
Decide which business function fits your background and interest — commercial, marketing, sales, HR, admin, PR/communications, or operations. Most people build a career in one of these lanes rather than moving freely between all of them.
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2
Build relevant experience anywhere
Unlike coaching, medical or S&C roles, this experience doesn’t have to come from inside rugby. A sales, marketing, HR or PR career built in any industry is directly transferable — sports employers value proven commercial results over sector background.
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3
Get sector-specific experience through an internship
Clubs, unions and governing bodies regularly run internships and graduate schemes in commercial, marketing and operations departments — this is the most common entry point for candidates without prior sports-industry experience.
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4
Consider a relevant professional qualification
A CIM qualification for marketing, CIPD for HR, or a postgraduate sports business/management certificate can strengthen an application, especially if you’re moving into the sport from a different industry.
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5
Network inside the sports business community
Sports business conferences, LinkedIn groups and industry events are where many of these roles are actually found and filled — this sector relies heavily on personal networks alongside job boards.
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6
Target growth toward senior and board roles over time
Executive and board-level positions are almost never a first or even fifth job — they’re typically reached after a decade or more of building a track record, either inside rugby or in a related commercial industry.
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7
Check RugbyJobs.com regularly
Commercial, marketing, sales, HR, admin, ticketing, PR and board-level vacancies across both codes are listed here as they’re posted — sign up for job alerts so you don’t have to keep checking manually.
Answered
Frequently asked questions
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Do I need a sports-specific degree for a commercial or marketing job in rugby?
Can I move into rugby from a completely different industry?
What’s the easiest way to get my first job in this space?
Are professional qualifications like CIM or CIPD actually required?
How do I get a board-level or executive role in rugby?
Do ticketing and admin roles need any specific qualification?
Is networking really that important for these roles?
Do these roles differ much between rugby union and rugby league?
Can these roles be based anywhere in the world?
Where can I find live vacancies in these roles?
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