The Career in Sports Forum is an annual educational program that brings together 200 selected NCAA student-athletes to learn about and explore potential careers in sports, particularly college athletics. This unique three-day forum helps student-athletes chart their career paths. Participants network with and learn from current athletics professionals.
What You’ll Learn
The forum allows attendees to network with peers and decision-makers at the campus, conference and national level of college athletics. Content will meet the following program objectives:
- Educate participants on how personal strengths intersect with career opportunities.
- Provide participants with tangible experiences that will push them forward in their aspiration for a career in sports.
- Explore professional and career development strategies to help the transition to a career in the sports industry.
- Learn about the role of an intercollegiate coach, athletics administrator and national governing body staff member.
Notable speakers will cover the following topics and more to prepare attendees for success navigating their futures: self-awareness and its role in professional development; practical approaches to the sports job search; personal branding; developing a career plan; managing yourself as a professional in the sports industry. Through panels, engaging breakout discussions, keynote presentations and facilitated dialogues, program participants walk away from their experience with a thorough understanding of athletics as a career path and where they fit into the industry’s landscape.
Who is Eligible
- Attendees must be nominated by their school or conference. Third year, fourth year, fifth year and graduate student-athletes are eligible to attend.
- NCAA member schools may nominate up to five eligible student-athletes to complete the online application.
Nominees must have participated in an NCAA-sponsored sport during the current academic year at the time of the application deadline. Eligible student-athletes who will have graduated before the forum dates are eligible to participate. Previous Career in Sports Forum participants are not eligible to reapply.
When selecting nominees, schools and conferences are strongly encouraged to consider a diverse slate of nominees.
How to Nominate/Apply
Athletics administrators are strongly encouraged to seek out student-athlete interest in the Career in Sports Forum and speak to student-athletes about their career interests and the program before submitting nominations.
Athletics directors, senior woman administrators and student-athlete affairs administrators (listed in the NCAA Directory) may nominate student-athletes via the “Nominator” tab in the NCAA Program Hub by entering the interested applicants’ first and last names and email addresses.
Nominated student-athletes will receive an email that directs them to Program Hub to complete a profile and submit their application through the “Application” tab.
All application materials must be submitted by the nominated student-athlete.
Cost
The Career in Sports Forum is offered free to nominated student-athletes selected for the program. The NCAA covers all costs associated with travel, lodging, meals and program materials.
Questions?
For information about the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, email ldevelopment@ncaa.org.
