Are you a woman who loves basketball? If so, you may want to pursue a career related to the sport. A quick search will reveal there are many women’s basketball jobs available to those who would like to work in this niche. You just need to find which option is best suited for you.
While no blog entry could cover every women’s basketball job you may pursue, this overview will help you better understand what types of positions you may potentially fill with the NCAA or a university.
Types of Jobs in Women’s Basketball
Women’s basketball jobs come in a wide range of forms. The specific job you pursue will depend on your skills, experience, and interests.
For example, you might want to seek out NCAA women’s basketball coaching jobs if you have experience playing the sport and believe you can lead a team to success. However, if you have general marketing skills, you may prefer to apply them as a sports marketing specialist for a women’s basketball team or league.
Those are just two examples. This guide will focus primarily on coaching jobs. Just keep in mind that the same types of jobs within virtually any major organization usually exist within basketball teams and leagues. For instance, basketball leagues need accountants, PR specialists, HR professionals, and more. Regardless of your talents, there’s a good chance you can find a women’s basketball job where they will be helpful.
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WNBA Coaching Jobs
The average salary for anyone working for the WNBA (regardless of position) is currently $120,648. Your chances of having a lucrative career are fairly high if you work for this popular sports organization.
Although it is unfortunately true that a disparity between what women’s basketball coaches earn and men’s basketball coaches earn exists, you can still make a large sum of money in a coaching position for the WNBA. That’s particularly true if you aspire to be a WNBA coach. Although the salaries of WNBA coaches can vary depending on a wide range of factors, there are WNBA coaches who earn more than a million dollars every year.
Be aware that you don’t need to be a head coach to fill this type of role. Assistant coaching jobs and similar positions are also available. In fact, starting off by pursuing assistant women’s basketball coaching jobs is wise, as you will probably need to begin your career at a lower rung on the ladder before becoming a head coach.
Assistant Women’s Basketball Coaching Jobs
Again, the amount of money you can expect to make as an assistant women’s basketball coach will depend on which team you coach for, which league or organization you work in, etc. That said, the salary for a women’s assistant basketball coach is about $40,000 on average. This may not seem like much at first, but you have to account for the fact that the salaries of assistant basketball coaches at smaller colleges without high athletics budgets tend to be factored into the averages when they are calculated.
Graduate Assistant Jobs in Women’s Basketball
One of the best ways to position yourself for success when seeking women’s basketball jobs is to gain as much relevant experience as you can early in your professional life. For example, even if you’re only a graduate student, you can potentially find a job as a graduate assistant for a women’s basketball team at your university.
There’s no guarantee that your university will offer such a position, nor can anyone guarantee that a job as a graduate assistant in women’s basketball will involve certain duties. In general, though, many of these positions involve such responsibilities as helping to coordinate practices, scheduling lodging for players when they are on the road, and, perhaps most importantly, assisting the head coach directly in various forms.
Strongly consider applying to this type of position if it’s available at your college. Along with providing you with valuable experience that will make you stand out as an attractive candidate to potential employers in the future, it will also give you an inside look into what these types of jobs may require from you on a day-to-day basis. This will help you better determine if a career in women’s basketball is right for you.
How to Start A Career In Women’s Basketball
Naturally, having experience playing basketball can give you a significant advantage when pursuing women’s basketball jobs. That doesn’t mean you need to have been a player to work in women’s basketball. Once more, basketball teams and leagues are essentially no different from any other type of company. They still need staff members who may have skills that aren’t necessarily directly related to basketball.
However, no matter which type of job you pursue, you should position yourself to make the right impression on employers by actively getting as much experience as you can.
For instance, you might find a women’s basketball team that offers internships to students. Apply to these positions if so. True, you might not earn an income at first as an intern, but in the long run, such a role could help you network with those who may be able to connect you with job opportunities.
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Additionally, you should attempt to work with players and coaches when possible. Having experience engaging directly with the athletes on the court and the coaches who train them will demonstrate to employers that you understand the demands of a women’s basketball job.
Numerous Options to Consider
Remember, there are very many positions available on women’s basketball teams and leagues. You have plenty of options to consider when starting your career. Hopefully, this guide has helped you better understand how you may begin seeking a job that will be rewarding to someone with your interests and talents. To improve your chances of landing your dream women’s basketball job, join the JobsInSports.com network today.