The person in charge of managing intercollegiate athletic programs is an athletic director, also known as a coaching director or an athletics leader. An athletic director is most often found at a university, but they can also be found at colleges and even high schools. An athletic director may work directly with the teams or supervise the work of other coaches and trainers, depending on the size of the institution.
An athletic director with no direct control over the athletic program is essentially a manager in terms of job responsibilities. He ensures that coaches follow institutional rules and regulations governing various competitions, but he cannot change the official team coach’s training method. An athletic director is also barred from making team-related decisions in these circumstances, such as hiring or firing players, imposing sanctions, or rearranging training schedules.
In small schools, an athletic director and a coach may be the same person, despite the fact that this can be viewed as a conflict of interest. An athletic director is an administrative position created in larger schools, particularly colleges, to manage several trainers in various sports. An athletic director is more likely to have a business degree than a sports-related degree due to the demands of the job.
Securing funding and materials for the team is an important part of an athletic director’s job. These can range from simple things like new uniforms to more complex things like commercial endorsements. In addition, an athletic director plans publicity, organizes game schedules, and works with athletic directors from other institutions to find the best possible arrangements for their teams.
An athletic director works an average of forty hours per week, not including weekends when she attends games to supervise the running of the games and network with other administrators. An athletic director at a medium-level college earns an average salary of $68,340 US dollars, according to the US Department of Labor. Ivy league universities and colleges with competitive intercollegiate athletic teams earn more than $100,000 USD per year.