Imagine speaking to your seven-year-old self – the rugby fan who never missed a game – and telling them: one day, you’ll be working with those players, helping them recover from injury and return to performance.

That might be one version of a future in sport, but there are many others. Often, a passion for sport starts long before you think about it as a career.

It could begin with following a team, playing regularly, or simply loving PE at school, before developing into an ambition to work in coaching, physical education, sports therapy, or another related field.

In Ireland, those possibilities are growing alongside record participation in sport. More than 2.12 million people took part in sport every week in 2025, the highest number recorded to date by the Irish Sports Monitor.

The sporting profession is also receiving greater attention. Sport Ireland’s first dedicated workforce strategy for 2026-2030 reflects the growing scale of the sporting workforce and the need for clearer career development across the industry.

So, is there a future in sports careers in Ireland? Yes. An interest you have carried for years could set you on the path towards a meaningful profession in a sector where new opportunities are continuing to emerge.

What Careers Can You Have in Sport in Ireland?

Sport is a major part of everyday life in Ireland and around the world. People follow it, take part in it, and build communities around it.

Behind that participation is a wide range of professionals working across:

  • Sports coaching
  • Physical education (PE) teaching
  • Sports therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Sports development
  • Clinical exercise and rehabilitation
  • Physical activity and wellbeing
  • Community sport and inclusion
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Outdoor and adventure education

Sports coaching can take you into youth, community, or performance settings, while PE teaching offers a route into working with young people through education.

If injury, recovery, or physical performance interests you more, sports therapy and physiotherapy offer more clinical and rehabilitation-focused directions.

Sports development careers are centred on encouraging participation and improving access to sport. Other possibilities include physical activity and wellbeing, clinical exercise, outdoor education, and strength and conditioning.

The breadth of sports careers in Ireland means studying sport can open several professional directions, allowing your interests to develop as you gain experience.

What Does a Career in Sports Coaching Look Like?

Sports coaching careers can be dynamic and rewarding. Coaches can work across youth, community, participation, and performance sport, helping individuals or teams develop their abilities.

Depending on the setting, a coach might plan training sessions, analyse performance, prepare athletes for competition, or introduce children and beginners to sport in a positive environment.

Doing this effectively requires an understanding of how people learn movement and how training can be adapted for different participants.

Portobello Institute’s BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education identifies sports coaching across these settings as one of its core career pathways. Over three years, the degree prepares students for a range of coaching roles.

Practical experience is built into the programme, including a coaching placement in Year 2. This gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in a real coaching environment and experience the day-to-day realities of the profession.

How Does PE Teaching Fit into a Career in Sport?

PE teaching is another career within the wider sports sector. PE teachers work with young people in school environments, introducing them to physical activity while helping them develop movement competence and confidence.

For anyone who wants to share their enthusiasm for sport, PE teaching can offer a fulfilling career with the opportunity to guide the next generation and potentially inspire some students to pursue sport at a higher level.

This is the path Portobello BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education student Leah Tarpey is working towards.

Having represented Ireland in professional rugby and now playing for Leinster, Leah is combining her experience on the pitch with her goal of becoming a PE teacher.

“Teaching PE felt like the perfect career path for me because it allows me to combine my love for sport with my passion for working with young people,” she says.

Read Leah’s full story.

How Do You Become a PE Teacher in Ireland?

To become a post-primary PE teacher in Ireland, you generally need an undergraduate qualification that meets the Teaching Council’s relevant subject requirements, an appropriate initial teacher education qualification, and Teaching Council registration.

Portobello’s BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education is aligned with the Curricular Physical Education Subject Criteria (2023) and provides an academic foundation for progression to a Professional Master of Education in Physical Education (PME PE).

If you see a future in PE teaching, begin with the undergraduate degree. Once you graduate, the next step is to apply for a PME PE with another provider, subject to that provider’s entry requirements and eligibility criteria.

After completing the appropriate teacher education qualification, you would then need to meet the Teaching Council’s registration requirements before practising as a post-primary PE teacher in Ireland.

Is Sports Therapy a Good Career in Ireland?

Sports therapy can be another strong career choice. It offers a more clinical route into the sports sector, centred on injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Rather than coaching performance or teaching physical education, sports therapists work directly with people recovering from injury and preparing to return to activity – from individual athletes and sports teams to clients in private practice and rehabilitation settings.

A sports therapist’s role can involve assessing musculoskeletal injuries and planning rehabilitation programmes, using exercise-based techniques to help clients regain movement and function.

If you want to understand how sports therapy differs from sports rehabilitation, read our comparison guide.

A sports therapy degree like Portobello Institute’s BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy combines academic study with practical clinical experience, preparing students to work across sports injury and rehabilitation settings.

Graduate Garreth Lonergan is one example of where that can lead. After completing the degree through advanced entry, he went on to work as a therapist and Pilates instructor aboard a luxury superyacht in the Caribbean.

Garreth explains: “This course gave me the skills to become a therapist and help others recover from injury and return to play.”

Read Garreth's full story.

Can Sports Therapy Lead to Physiotherapy?

If physiotherapy is where you ultimately see your career heading, studying sports therapy can be a strong starting point.

It gives you experience in injury rehabilitation and human movement while building the academic and practical foundation for further professional study.

Before looking at how that progression can work, it is useful to understand how the two professions differ.

What Is the Difference Between Sports Therapy and Physiotherapy?

Sports therapy and physiotherapy are distinct professions, with different scopes of practice and professional routes.

Sports therapists typically focus on musculoskeletal injury, rehabilitation, and return to activity, often within sports or private-practice settings.

Physiotherapists, on the other hand, work across a much broader range of healthcare environments and patient needs, including neurological and cardiorespiratory rehabilitation.

In Ireland, physiotherapist is also a protected professional title, with registration through CORU required to practise using that title.

That distinction does not mean the two routes are disconnected. Portobello Institute’s BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy can provide a foundation for progression to its MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) for eligible graduates.

Students who already see physiotherapy in their future can also access physiotherapy-led placement opportunities during the Sports Therapy degree, helping them gain relevant experience before applying for postgraduate study.

For someone who first discovers an interest in rehabilitation through sport, that creates the possibility to begin in sports therapy and later take the next professional step towards becoming a physiotherapist.

After studying sports therapy at Portobello, Elaine McKeon continued into postgraduate physiotherapy study as she worked towards the profession she ultimately wanted to enter.

“During my undergraduate degree, I completed several modules that were closely related to physiotherapy, which really sparked my interest and confirmed it was the career I wanted to pursue,” says Elaine.

“I’ve always had a strong desire to work in physiotherapy, and hands-on experience definitely helped confirm that.”

Read Elaine’s full story.

How Do You Start a Career in Sport in Ireland?

For anyone exploring a career in sport, the first step is often deciding which type of professional role feels most meaningful.

Start with the profession rather than the programme. Think about the type of work that appeals to you and the setting you can picture yourself in.

You may want to coach people and develop performance or work with young people through physical education. If injury rehabilitation interests you more, sports therapy could be your first professional direction, with physiotherapy becoming a longer-term ambition.

Once you understand what the career involves, you can look for a qualification that gives you the academic knowledge and practical experience needed for that route.

Placements and real-world learning matter too. Experiencing different professional environments while you study can help you understand where your interests fit before you begin your career journey.

What Possibilities Could a Career in Sport Open Up for You?

Sport in Ireland is growing – and so are the possibilities for building a career within it. Whether you’re interested in sports therapy, physiotherapy, coaching or PE, there are various professional pathways to explore.

Explore Portobello Institute’s sports faculty or book a call with a Career Pathway Consultant, who can guide you towards the programme that best fits your goals.