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What They Do

Coaches and Scouts Career Video

Insider Info

Sports scouts identify and recruit athletes. They're hired by professional sports organizations, teams, and professional or collegiate scouting agencies.

Most sports scouts play or coach before becoming scouts. For some professional sports, like football, agencies look for the best players. In collegiate sports and other areas, coaches are often the ones who recruit new players.

Daniele Sauvageau, an assistant coach and scout for a women's national hockey team, holds a full-time job in another field. She's volunteered her time with the Olympic hockey team for no pay in order to get into coaching and scouting.

"I started coaching for the love of the game, and the reason I stayed so long was for the passion. This is the first year I've received a salary for coaching and scouting. There's a strong possibility that in the near future, I'll become a full-time coach and scout."

Sports scouts need good analytical, evaluative and communication skills. They work long and irregular hours and travel considerably.

"We travel a lot with the team, and if we go to major events, we have to spend a lot of time in rinks and make sure we see a lot of players," says Sauvageau. "It's 80 hours a week, and there's no scheduled 9-to-5 kind of thing. We work evenings and weekends -- long hours -- and it's very time-consuming."

At a Glance

Identify and recruit athletes

  • Most sports scouts start out as players or coaches
  • Salaries vary greatly depending on the sport, team and level of play
  • You'll need to start with a degree in physical education, sports management or kinesiology

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

Support