Football Jobs: List of roles you can do at football stadiums

Football jobs do not just end with being a manager, coach or player. Football stadiums are vibrant hubs of activity, deploying a diverse workforce that ensures seamless operations and unforgettable experiences for fans who visit the venues every matchday.

These jobs can be seasonal, but with most stadiums nowadays hosting off-season events such as concerts and pre-season matches, stadium jobs span many roles. Most importantly, stadium jobs require teamwork, passion and adaptability to create the magic atmosphere that fans of the sport love.

From maintaining the pitch, logistics, and managing crowds to hospitality, this post walks you through a list of roles you can do at football stadiums. With that, the big question is: Which football jobs can you do in the stadiums?

Here is a list of the different roles you can play at football clubs and football stadiums.

Football hospitality staff

Hospitality packages are part of every football club in the UK and beyond. Hospitality staff are dedicated to ensuring those who purchase hospitality match tickets get elite treatment and a corporate experience. From serving food and drinks to accessing VIP sections, a lot happens behind the scenes. A chance to meet club legends makes hospitality jobs in football stadiums even more exciting.

Football steward jobs

A question that comes to mind whenever football stewards are mentioned is: Why are there so many of them when they don't seem to do much? The fact is, these stewards are trained to deal with almost any possible incident that could occur at a football match.

It is always all about numbers. The bigger the crowd within the stadium, the more stewards are needed, so if you live near a huge football stadium, then there is every chance that they are looking for stewards.

This is a casual staff role that involves assisting spectators to find their seats, checking bags or being the first point of call if help is required. Around the pitch and in the segregation areas for more high-profile games, football stadium stewards undertake lighter security roles such as ensuring that opposition fans are kept apart. They also remove any intruders from the pitch.

These roles are ideal for those who love watching football yet get paid while at it. Yes, you could draw the short straw and end up on the stairwells, but there is also every chance that you could get placed within the stands and spend most weeks doing nothing other than watching the match.

Football ticket staff

Many football clubs often have tickets available on the day of the game or a ‘pay at the gate' facility, particularly for those further down the football pyramid.

Those involved may be club staff who perform other roles during the week or part-timers when the ticket office opens on a match day. In non-league, volunteers are mostly involved in matchday ticketing.

While automated turnstiles have operated electronically with smartcards and QR codes, football ticketing staff have remained as important as they were before. After all, these machines are hardly foolproof.

Football bar staff

In the concourse, you will find outlets that sell food or drinks. Bar outlets in stadiums require staff to keep things running. This is the case in England, but in Scotland, the sale of alcohol in general admission areas (in the stands) is not permitted.

Usually, 90 minutes before kick-off, a steady stream will gather under the stand to have a drink. It is very much a football thing!

Again, casual staff will be required to keep the food and drink replenished, organise and tidy as the day goes on.

Football merchandise staff

Another important job at a football stadium revolves around selling club merchandise. More staff will be required in the club store on matchday, but in addition to that, there will be more merchandise to sell on the day of the game.

For small clubs, this could represent a small offering just beyond the turnstiles, while the top clubs will have mobile outlets offering all of the essentials for a football fan at the stadium.

Matchday means programmes as well, so this staple requires a lot of people to take the money and hand it over. In this digital age, programme sales and demand remain relatively strong, so as long as that is maintained, the classic souvenir of the football match will remain.

#NonLeagueHeroes

To the Programme Sellers at non-league football grounds: Your dedication adds a special touch to every match day.

Thanks for preserving the tradition and providing fans with cherished keepsakes.

We see and appreciate you! pic.twitter.com/rvV1rhAveJ

— Non-League Volunteers (@nonleaguevol) October 27, 2023

Stadium medical jobs

Football is a contact sport, so injuries among players remain a distant possibility in every encounter between clubs. With that, the role of medical staff in football stadiums cannot be understated.

From matchday medical staff who attend to injured players and physiotherapists in the dressing room to those who assess player fitness before and after matches, medical jobs at a football stadium are as indispensable as ever.

Stadium cleaning and maintenance jobs

Stadium cleaning and maintenance is another job you can do at the football stadium. It is all about ensuring the match venue is in good condition before, at half-time and after the match.

It is one of the jobs that pays well, especially in football stadiums with the best atmosphere.  A cleaning job at a top-flight stadium undoubtedly pays more, given the mess that is often left behind.

Non-matchday club staff

The vast majority of us will never realise our dreams of playing for our beloved clubs, but some do experience the thrill of working for our favourite team and the honour of being a club representative.

Aside from the football squad and coaching staff, there are lots of non-matchday roles. These are full-time professional roles in recognised areas across the whole operation at a football club.

These roles span from administration, supporting the executive management team, to the marketing department. Others include sales staff for essential merchandise and corporate ticketing officers. Then there are social media management teams, press officers and media relations persons.

A team of ground staff is also required for the pitch at the stadium as well as the training ground. The big clubs will have full-time ticket office staff as well as those involved with stadium tours and museums.

Note that casual jobs on a matchday are routinely advertised, while full-time employment at a football club is harder to come by, but it is still worth pursuing to secure a desired role at a football stadium.

How to find football jobs

We recommend finding football jobs by trying out the following:

• For jobs in football media, follow @garytaphouse on Twitter.
• For jobs across the sport, head to jobsinfootball.com
• Check out the ‘jobs' page at Premier League and EFL clubs, you might find something that takes your fancy!