Leisure and sports managers: salary in the UK
About £28,539 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, -1% on last year
£2,896 a month About £2,378 a month after tax 33 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £29,289 in 2021 to £34,749 in 2026 (+19%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £19,099 | £21,904 | £29,289 | £38,110 | x |
| 2022 | £21,122 | £24,213 | £30,005 | £40,344 | x |
| 2023 | £21,171 | £26,859 | £34,267 | £40,933 | x |
| 2024 | £23,913 | £26,506 | £34,085 | £40,588 | x |
| 2025 | £23,530 | £27,691 | £35,095 | £42,490 | x |
| 2026 | x | £27,973 | £34,749 | x | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £34,749 a year and half earn more. That is 15% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 213 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£40,483) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,378 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,377 in Scotland.
The median for men is £35,381 and for women £33,808, a gap of 4% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £27,388 | £2,282 |
| 25th (P25) | £27,973 | £2,331 |
| 30th | £28,958 | £2,413 |
| 40th | £31,871 | £2,656 |
| Median (50th) | £34,749 | £2,896 |
| 60th | £37,884 | £3,157 |
| 70th | £41,093 | £3,424 |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £35,381 | £42,732 | 18 |
| Women | £33,808 | £37,899 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £28,539 | £2,378 |
| Scotland | £28,526 | £2,377 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £35,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 72 job titles to SOC 1224 Leisure and sports managers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Amusement arcade manager
- Amusement arcade owner
- Arts centre manager
- Ball room manager
- Baths manager
- Bowling alley manager
- Centre manager
- Cinema experience manager
- Cinema manager
- Cinema owner
- Circuit manager
- Circus manager
- Circus owner
- Clerk and steward
- Clerk of the course
- Club manager
- Club master
- Concert hall manager
- Cricket ground manager
- Cruise director
- Dance hall manager
- Dance hall owner
- Director
- Entertainment manager
- Equestrian centre manager
- Fairground manager
- Fitness centre manager
- Fitness manager
- Football ground manager
- Front of house manager
- Golf course manager
- Gym manager
- Gym owner
- Health and fitness manager
- Health club manager
- Health club owner
- Health studio owner
- House manager
- Leisure centre manager
- Leisure manager
- Leisure services manager
- Manager
- Marina manager
- Museum director
- Museum manager
- Museum owner
- Night club owner
- Operations manager
- Outdoor pursuits manager
- Outward bound centre manager
- Outward bound manager
- Outward bound operational director
- Owner
- Park manager
- Racecourse manager
- Recreation services manager
- Riding school owner
- Sauna baths manager
- School manager
- Service manager
Show all 72 titles
- Skating rink manager
- Sport development manager
- Sports centre manager
- Sports club owner
- Sports development manager
- Sports manager
- Sports promotions manager
- Stadium manager
- Stand manager
- Theatre manager
- Theme park manager
- Zoo director
Similar occupations
All jobs in Managers, directors and senior officials
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.