What Are the Duties of a Sports Director?

A sports director, also called an athletic director, usually works with the athletic administration for a school or organization 1. Whether it's working for a professional sports organization or for a high school, many of the responsibilities of the sports director are the same. The sport director's purpose is to oversee the facility management, human resources, funding and policy adherence of a sports organization in compliance with certain rules and regulations. If you're considering a career path that will lead you to becoming a sports director, consider the duties for which you'll be responsible.

Organization and Administration

A sports director is responsible for the overseeing of the entire athletic department of an organization 1. This means everything from scheduling games to overseeing coaching staff and organizing practices. The sports director is technically an administrative position, but that doesn't mean a director will spend all of her time behind a desk. Much of the job will revolve around observing coaches and working with athletic teams to ensure that they are following certain requirements and restrictions, and even traveling with teams.

Facility Supervision

A sports director is essentially responsible for the usage and safety of the sports facility. Depending on the facility, there may be certain rules regarding dress code and usage that a sports director must enforce. When several teams are playing several different kinds of sports in the facility, a sports director may be responsible for scheduling in order to ensure each team gets equal practice and play time. A sports director may also need to make sure both male and female athletics get equal attention in the facility, notes the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

Hiring and Management

The sports director is essentially the head of the athletics department, and as such may be in charge of human resources for sports, notes the Education Portal website. This can entail the hiring of new coaching staff, but also working with coaching staff to ensure their continued satisfaction when it comes to their jobs. A sports director may be responsible for reprimanding coaching and administrative staff should the need arise. The sports director may also be called in to coach on occasion, or may be assigned a team as part of his duties.

Funding and Budget

Athletic programs for schools and organizations are typically expensive to run. Not only do you have all of the gear and uniforms to pay for, but you'll also need to pay for transportation and costs for facility upkeep. It's the duty of a sports director to oversee the budget and allocate money as she sees fit, notes the Degree Directory website 1. She'll need to have a keen eye for accounting to ensure that funds are split up according to need and sport and that there's money left in the budget to fund the athletic department.