Pathway · Step up
Football Operations Manager to Sporting Director / Director of Football
How to move from Football Operations Manager to Sporting Director / Director of Football: what to learn, what to prove and what formal steps, if any, are needed.
Qualification check for Sporting Director / Director of Football
Strongly preferred
Most employers will expect a qualification for the new role, but evidence of experience also counts. Requirements vary by country. In some markets, such as Italy, sporting directors must hold a specific licence. In others there is no formal requirement and career history decides.
4 to 7 yearstypical timeline
4new skills to build
2qualifications to consider
+892%mid-point UK pay change, illustrative
The move at a glance
Football Operations Manager
Runs the day-to-day football operations of a squad.
Sporting Director / Director of Football
Leads the football strategy across recruitment, coaching appointments and contracts.
Skills and knowledge to build
Experience and routes that help
Qualifications to consider
Tools to learn
What the new role asks of you
- Set football strategy and budgets
- Lead coach appointments and major signings
- Report to the board and ownership
Practical steps
- Ask for a small piece of the new role's work before you apply, for example one of the tasks above.
- Close the top gap first: Leadership.
- Keep a record of two results that show you working at the next level.
- Talk to three people who do the job. Ask how they got in, and who they would recommend you speak to.