Another area of sport management (and one that has been around since the turn of the century) is recreation management. In comparison with other sport managers, recreation managers are less likely to work with or have contact with top athletes. In fact, recreation managers are often expected to serve the least athletic in the community. According to one expert in the field, the goal of recreation managers isn't recreation, but "wellness." (1)
Recreation management encompasses a variety of leisure services such as parks, city recreation programs, private non-profits (e.g., YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs), military recreation programs, and commercial operations (e.g., fitness centers, health spas).
An article in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration outlines some of the functions of the various recreation management sectors:
"Public recreation organizations have a number of functions: (1) to build, maintain, and manage facilities and areas; (2) to sponsor community recreation programs and events through direct leadership and support; (3) to promote the importance of open space, park development, and leisure services in the community; and finally (4) to provide specialized services for seniors, disabled, disadvantaged, and other groups with special needs."
Private nonprofits "utilize recreation as a means of promoting the purposes and mission of the organization."
Military programs "are tied to fitness, unit and community cohesion, family well-being, quality of life, and recreation awareness and outreach."
Commercial programs are designed to attract customers and generate profits. (2)
Management jobs in public, non-profit, and military organizations are often available only to those who have college degrees in recreation, park, or leisure services.
Increasingly recreation managers have to juggle many constituencies. "The effective leisure services professional enters into partnerships with the private and volunteer sectors. Many parks and recreation departments use volunteers for the parks, employ contract maintenance services and solicit corporate sponsorship for special events or facility construction." (3)
According to Paul Butcher, director of Parks and Recreation for Colorado Springs, Colorado, "We don't make a move without identifying who our consumers will be, then spending a great deal of time talking to them about their needs.
"We've seen growing public support for our projects because of this involvement. For example, we recently had 600 people show up for a park dedication, when normally 20 or 30 come. After that, people began calling us to tell us about a loose sprinkler head, things like that. We see less damage, abuse and vandalism occurring to the parks than in the past. This tells us if you let people get involved in projects, they tend to take better care and stay involved." (4)
However, budget cuts in public services have put pressure on recreation managers to reduce operating costs. In Baltimore County, Maryland, for example, the Recreation and Parks Department cut 38% of its staff from 1991 to 1996. (5)
Three examples of recreation managers:
"I grew up playing at City Park Golf Course, and in high school we played at all the Denver city courses. There weren't any suburban courses. I knew every concessionaire at every Denver city course, back as far as the middle '60s." (6)
He was a regular on the City Park course from 1967 to 1973, playing about 200 rounds a year. After graduating from high school, he went to the University of Colorado on a golf scholarship, was an All-American, and received his degree in 1978.
He spent seven years as a touring pro, including three years on the PGA Tour. He played in the U.S. Open twice and the PGA Championship once.
In 1986 Woodard took a job as assistant pro at a Denver public course. Then he became head pro at City Park, then head pro at a suburban course.
In 1996 he became head pro of a brand new suburban course. He was there for just four months when he took over the golf director job. "It was a real tough decision. I think the main reason I did it was because I could see the potential was there to really turn it around."
The job pays $56,452 a year. Woodward must focus on rebuilding Denver's public courses, providing better service, attracting more players, and ending negative cash flow.
"I was really familiar with the system, and it was an opportunity for me to come back home."
But he has found the job challenging. "I'd always heard that term, city bureaucracy, (but) I had no idea what it meant until I started working for the city of Denver. You've got the budget office, purchasing, career service, mayor's office, city attorney, then the management team at parks and rec. You need those checks and balances, but, boy, it takes a long time, and you have to be very patient to get things done." (7)
After that he spent three and a half years as parks director in Goshen, Indiana, a community largely made up of Amish and Mennonites. "Establishing the position initially was somewhat controversial because the Puritan work ethic was very strong and many people in the community simply did not feel like that was something that was needed. It was a very rewarding experience to start a department in a very conservative community." (8)
Then Boyer spent 19 years as director of the Davenport (Iowa) Parks and Recreation Department. He oversaw 60 parks, three golf courses, four swimming pools, and had a $4 million operating budget.
Boyer became aware of the Memphis job through the National Recreation and Park Association, a professional association he belongs to. He oversees approximately 180 facilities (including swimming pools, golf courses, and a stadium), a staff of 480, and a $24.8 million operating budget. He reports to both the mayor and a five-member volunteer Park Commission board.
"Although I've had some opportunities to do some other things in the private sector, I really haven't found anything else I want to do. I love this work. I love being a public servant. And I love parks and recreation." (9)
He received a bachelor's degree in recreation leadership from the University of Nebraska and a master's degree in recreation and park administration from California State University, Sacramento.
Katen served in a number of rural-based recreation jobs before becoming director of parks and recreation for the Churchill County Parks and Recreation Department in Fallon, Nevada in 1988.
In 1991, he took over the Linda-Elverta job. Said a park district board member, "Bill's greatest asset is that he's a generalist. He has a great deal of knowledge about many, many things. His knowledge of horses and riding and rodeo programs. His knowledge of outdoor trail systems. That's not something you typically see in a suburban parks and recreation administrator." (10)