According to the director of the Center for Sports Management of the Moscow Financial and Industrial University «Synergy» Valery Gorelikov: “Belarusian sport needs competent managers and marketing specialists”. At the meeting with students of the Institute of Sport and Tourism Management, he talked about how to become a sought-after specialist, start a career, and of introducing innovations in the sports industry without fear.
Also, the meeting were visited by specialists from different sports federations.
Valery Gorelikov began his professional career while he was a schoolboy – he assembled a basketball team and trained it. Even then, he knew that in a couple of years he would become a student of Belarusian State Order of the Red Banner of Labor Institute of Physical Culture (formerly BSUPC). So it happened. The young coach entered the faculty of sports games and combative sports.
In his student years in his hometown Osipovichi he was offered a place as a coach in the sports school. After the high-profile successes of his charges, Valery Gorelikov took the post of head coach at the Belarusian youth basketball team. By that time, the specialist already had experience in organizing large sports events. He collaborated with colleagues from Europe and the USA. No one doubted his coaching abilities, but Valery Gorelikov decided to try himself in a different direction — sports management.
He led the club team and created the marketing agency, that have worked for a year. He have found his place and moved to Moscow. In Moscow he equipped teams, and after that – organized and conducted specialized seminars.
Today, Valery Gorelikov advises major clubs and federations on different kinds of sport from many countries. He leads the Center for Sports Management of the Moscow Financial and Industrial University «Synergy» and runs the program «Management in Student Sport».
According to the expert, the sports component and the economy of sport exist in close connection. Marketers should create a quantitative product, consider the needs of end-users, sponsors, prepare competent business proposals, have the knowledge of business processes, use effective communication channels.
The speaker also noted, that sport constantly competes with concerts, mass events (holidays, festivals), business events. The outcome of the struggle for sponsorship and audience depends on management and marketing decisions.
Valery Gorelikov advised students of the Institute of Sports and Tourism Management not to wait for a diploma and try to get into the industry today: contact the directorate of major sports events, sports federations, professional and amateur clubs, student leagues. The main thing is to offer to organizations specific proposals, ideas and projects.