What GCSE Subjects Should You Take?

When most people think of a career in sport, their first thought is often about becoming a professional athlete. While that’s one exciting path, the sporting world offers a wide range of careers behind the scenes too – from coaching and physiotherapy to sports journalism, event management, and even data analysis.

If you’re passionate about sport and starting to think about your GCSE options, it’s important to know how the subjects you choose now can help shape your future in this dynamic and rewarding industry.

Why Choose a Career in Sport?

Sport offers more than just competition – it’s about leadership, health, teamwork, and community. Whether you dream of helping athletes perform at their peak, running major sporting events, or working in sports science or media, the industry is full of exciting opportunities that suit all interests and skill sets.

GCSE Subjects to Consider for a Career in Sport

To help set you on the right path, here are some common sport-related careers and the GCSE subjects that can help you get there:

Final Thoughts

No matter what career in sport you’re interested in, combining your passion with the right qualifications is key. Choose subjects that excite you and play to your strengths, and don’t be afraid to explore different areas of sport – sometimes the most exciting opportunities are the ones you hadn’t considered yet.

At inspiresport, we believe in developing the whole athlete – whether you’re on the pitch or planning a career behind the scenes. Our sports development tours can help inspire your journey by giving you hands-on experience with professional environments, expert coaching, and unforgettable opportunities to grow.

Ready to take the first step in your sporting future? Start by exploring your GCSE choices and think about how they connect to your passion. Who knows? Your next school tour might just be the moment everything clicks into place.

What’s Right for Your School?

Organising a school sports tour is an exciting opportunity to take your pupils beyond the playing field – and possibly even beyond the UK. However, when it comes to deciding between a long haul or short haul sports tour, the options can feel a bit overwhelming. At inspiresport, we know how important it is to get the balance right between value, experience, and development for your young athletes – both on and off the field.

So, what’s the difference? And more importantly, which one’s right for your school or club?

Let’s break it down.

What are the Benefits of a Long Haul Sports Tours?

Long haul tours are the big adventures – the trips that take you and your team far from home to exciting destinations like Canada, the USA, Argentina, India, Dubai, Australia, or South Africa.

Why Consider Long Haul?

Cultural Exchange & Global Perspective: These tours offer a truly immersive cultural experience. Whether it’s playing rugby in Argentina, netball in Australia, or cricket in India, your students will encounter new customs, traditions, and ways of life that help develop empathy, respect, and a broader worldview.

Athletic Development: Long haul tours often include unique training opportunities – playing against international teams, trying out new drills, and picking up fresh and distinctive techniques from expert international coaches. This kind of exposure builds adaptability and confidence while sharpening skills in challenging conditions.

Team Bonding & Personal Growth: Being far from home naturally brings people together. Students become more resilient, independent, and confident as they navigate new environments together. Moreover, when everyone is out of their comfort zone, real growth (and fun!) happens.

Extra Activities & Charitable Work: With longer trips come more time for excursions – whether that’s visiting New York’s landmarks or heading out on safari in South Africa. Some of our long haul tours also include opportunities for meaningful charitable work, giving back to the communities you visit.

Check out one of our recent tours, where Merchiston School embarked on a long haul adventure to South Africa, it was an experience that went far beyond sports. Their visit to Langa Township in Cape Town became the heart of their journey – a moment of profound impact and global responsibility. Read more…

Why Consider Short Haul?

Cost-Effective: For schools with budget constraints, short haul trips are more accessible. Cheaper flights, coach travel, and shorter stays make them more affordable without sacrificing value.

Cultural Experience Without the Jet Lag: Students still get the chance to explore a new country and culture. Visiting a European destination can also be a great way to inspire interest in foreign languages and history.

Easy Logistics: With less time spent travelling, you can often maximise time on the field and fit a tour into a school week or half-term. Plus, destinations are generally closer to emergency support if needed.

Great Training & Facilities: European sports resorts offer excellent facilities and are perfect for focused training, friendly matches, and team development in a new (but not too unfamiliar) setting.

So… Long Haul or Short Haul?

Here are a few questions to help you decide:

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re gazing at the rustic mountains of Canada or exploring the charming streets of an Italian village, both long haul and short haul sports tours offer unforgettable experiences that go way beyond sport.

At inspiresport, we’re here to help you make the right choice for your pupils – no matter the distance. We’ll work with you to plan a trip that fits your goals, budget, and schedule, and ensure that every detail is taken care of.

Ready to explore the world through sport?

Get in touch with us to start planning your next school tour – long or short haul, it’s all about inspiring your students to dream big and play even bigger.

INSPIRESPORT ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION OF TOUR TIME GROUP

Inspiresport Group has today announced the acquisition of the Tour Time Group including Tour Time New Zealand Ltd, Tour Time Australia Pty Ltd, Tour Time USA LLC, and Rugby Tours International Ltd (NZ, AUS, USA & Argentina).

This acquisition further enhances inspiresport’s expansion on an international basis following the creation of inspiresport LLC as its North American entity in November 2021.

Inspiresport are the industry-leading Sports Development Tour Operator, who have offered unrivalled access to world class professional clubs, coaches and facilities to take young players on extraordinary sporting journeys since 2004.

Steve Butchart, MD of inspiresport Group, said:

“Inspiresport has been reviewing opportunities for international expansion over a number of months and we’re delighted to confirm the news that the acquisition of the Tour Time Group is now complete. Our primary focus will be on the creation of outbound tours from New Zealand and Australia into the UK and Europe and generating increased demand for our Pro Club training experiences across football, rugby and hockey.

We are delighted to be able to confirm that Brent Imrie will remain as MD for Tour Time Group, but a special mention should be made to Ron and Beryl Imrie who founded and operated the company for more than 30 years. Their combined dedication, experience, market knowledge and contact network are what made the Tour Time Group the perfect business to accelerate our growth in New Zealand whilst also establishing us as a major player in the Australian market.

Whilst our focus will be on growing the youth sports development business, Tour Time Group will also continue to offer their full range of group tour options.”

Brent Imrie, MD of Tour Time Group said:

“As a family business of 30 years that was started by mum and dad, I am excited to announce the next step of our evolution as we become part of the Inspiresport family of companies. We certainly have exciting times ahead of us with global events happening down under in New Zealand, Australia and in the USA. With Inspiresport and the greater Destination Sport Group truly having a global presence, I look forward to delivering new products and partnerships to our markets whilst continuing to provide the great Tour Time service and family values that we are known for.”

inspiresport, the UK’s leading youth sports development tour operator, is excited to announce a new expanded partnership with Celtic FC to provide unlimited access for clubs and schools across the UK to train with Celtic FC academy coaches.

The players can learn new or enhance existing skills in a professional club environment, whilst developing a greater understanding of the academy’s philosophy of respect, integrity, commitment and support. Coaches will also have the opportunity to meet some of the coaching staff and observe academy training sessions/games.

Inspiresport is also the preferred travel partner for Celtic FC’s North American International Club Partners, and this will continue alongside this new partnership.

Steve Butchart, Managing Director at inspiresport, said:

“We’re delighted that our relationship with Celtic FC continues to flourish and has brought about this opportunity. It’s great that not only Celtic FC North American International partners can travel over to Glasgow, but now UK clubs and schools have the same opportunity to see this terrific stadium and experience high-quality training from the club’s academy coaches.”

“We see this as a fantastic addition to our domestic portfolio and a great opportunity for the young players from schools and grassroot clubs to experience Celtic FC’s culture whilst they develop their playing skills.”

“We are thrilled that our relationship continues to grow stronger, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for the future with this exciting partnership.”

Chris Smith, Head of Soccer Academy at Celtic FC, said:

“We are very excited to expand our relationship with inspiresport and to clubs and schools across the UK. Our existing relationship has enabled us to reach more young players and provide first class services and coaching to our community. We look forward to welcoming more groups in the coming months.”

inspiresport are excited to announce a new partnership on Earth Day 2022 with Trees4Travel.

Trees4Travel is an award-winning company, and a leader in sustainable travel. This fantastic partnership will offer us an effective solution by not only allowing us to make our trips more climate positive, but will allow us to go one step further, as every tree planted is also backed up with an investment into a United Nations renewable energy project. Enabling us to offer our customers the opportunity to travel more responsibly and give back to the planet.

Steve Butchart, Managing Director at inspiresport, comments:

“This partnership is a proud moment for all of us at inspiresport, and something that we have been wanting to do for a while. We are passionate about the world we live in and are aware of the impact that travel can have on the environment. Through this partnership we want to show our commitment to making travel more sustainable and ensuring we contribute to the solution of creating a cleaner and greener planet.

“inspiresport is delighted to be working with a team who are committed and passionate about sustainable development through rebalancing our carbon footprint. Their knowledge and expertise in this field contributes to their best-in-class credentials, and I am really looking forward to our journey together.

“I also want to acknowledge all the hard work that Sean Bishop has put in to establishing this partnership for our company and helping inspiresport on its mission to creating more sustainable travel for everyone.”

Toria Houston, Senior Partnership Manager at Trees4Travel, comments:

“Here at Trees4Travel we are all excited about this new partnership with inspiresport. Together we can make travel planet and people positive. Our reforestation takes place in developing countries in order to restore eco-systems, biodiversity and support local communities through the dignity of employment. Our investment into renewable energy projects provides all of our users with a share of United Nations carbon emission reduction certification.

“It is fantastic that we will be working with inspiresport to fight against climate change and build towards a more sustainable and equitable world.”

INSPIRESPORT ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE R66T ACADEMY

The UK’s number 1 sports development tour operator, inspiresport have joined forces with England Test Captain Joe Root and The R66T Academy to create a new U13 school cricket competition and help increase the number of young players participating in the sport.

The R66T Academy, founded by the Root family, was established to give cricketers of any age, gender, race, ability, and location an opportunity to play and enjoy all aspects of the game whilst encouraging a healthy competitive spirit. The importance of team objectives over individual performance, expression of natural talents and celebrating excellence and the success of others are core to the organisation’s purpose.

It’s with this developmental aim where the synergy with inspiresport lies, and how the parties came together to create The R66T Academy Festival of Cricket competition.

The R66T Academy Festival of Cricket is a regional competition for schools which will be held across four UK venues in April 2023. The winning regional teams will then be invited to participate in Finals Weekend at the prestigious Desert Springs Family, Leisure and Golf resort in Almeria, Spain. Registration for the competition is now open and will see teams take part in a The Hundred format tournament.

Steve Butchart, MD of inspiresport said:

“We are excited to partner with The R66T Academy on this venture – giving more young players opportunities to be involved in different formats of cricket can only be a good thing, and with the expertise provided by The R66T Academy coaches, our festivals are set to be the perfect blend of development, competitive games and of course fun!

It’s great to be working with a team of people so committed to cricket development as The R66T Academy are. Their knowledge and contacts within that arena are second to none and we’re already planning how The R66T Academy Festival of Cricket can grow further in future years to offer even more opportunity for different teams to take part.”

Matt Root, founder of The R66T Academy said:

“Our partnership with inspiresport is a fabulous initiative for developing the skills and experiences of young cricketers, both on and off the field of play. Our partnership ticks every box as far as the R66T Academy is concerned and will benefit young cricketers by introducing them to the challenges associated with representing their school at a national level.”

Joe Root, England Test Captain said:

“The R66T Academy Festival of Cricket is an innovative project which aims to challenge young players in a competitive environment. Enjoying the game is really important to school-aged players and we hope that our festival is fun for everyone involved whilst providing every young player with the opportunity to make a name for themselves and their school.”

The R66T Academy Festival of Cricket will take place in April 2023, with registration for next year’s competition open now. An invitational weekend at Desert Springs in July 2022 is also planned.

INSPIRESPORT NAMED AS CENTENARY SHIELD SPONSORS AND SAFIB PRINCIPAL PARTNER

The UK’s number one provider of youth sports development tours, inspiresport, is proud to be named as sponsors of this year’s SAFIB Centenary Shield Competition.

The inspiresport Centenary Shield sees U18 Boys teams from all the Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland play a series of matches in March and April, and for the 2022 tournament, games will be broadcast across the BBC via iPlayer, the BBC Sport app and connected Red Button.

Steve Butchart, Managing Director at inspiresport said:

“After our lengthy relationships with several of the SAFIB Home Nation governing bodies, it’s extremely pleasing to continue our commitment to Schools Football in becoming title sponsors for this year’s Centenary Shield competition. And for this to coincide with SAFIB securing a broadcast deal with the BBC highlights the continued demand for competitive youth sport at all levels.”

SAFIB Secretary, Mike Spinks, commented:

“I’ve known Steve and the inspiresport team for several years, and we’re delighted they have agreed to be title sponsors for this year’s tournament. And with the fantastic news recently announced regarding the BBC broadcast agreement, the 2022 competition will raise the profile of school’s football and showcase the commitment and ability of all those involved.”

The inspiresport Centenary Shield games will commence from Thursday 3 March 2022 for 8 weeks, with Scotland kicking off their campaign at home to Northern Ireland.

INSPIRESPORT ANNOUNCED AS OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF SCHOOL AND YOUTH CONFERENCES AND OFFICIAL PARTNER OF SCOTTISH RUGBY

Inspiresport are excited to announce our new partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union as Official Sponsor of School and Youth Conferences in a deal running until July 2024.

The Schools and Youth Conferences resumed in September 2021 following a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since then, the programme has facilitated playing opportunities for more than 7,200 players from U13 to U18 level, from 72 rugby hubs (schools, clubs or rugby communities).

Players who have featured in previous Schools & Youth Conferences include Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors) who will be hoping for his first international appearance after being named in the 2022 Six Nations squad, demonstrating the strength in the programme to develop future generations of talent.

Steve Butchart, MD at inspiresport said:

“We are incredibly proud to be announced as new sponsors of the Scottish Rugby Schools and Youth Conferences. Player development is a key part of the inspiresport ethos and experience so to assist with offering opportunities for potential future talent is a natural synergy for us.

The culture of touring plays such a huge part within rugby at all levels – we’re aiming to bring teams of young players to Scotland to experience first-hand the expert coaching, fantastic facilities, and sheer passion for rugby, whilst also providing travel options for Scottish groups to play against new opposition further afield.

We are excited to see what the next few years holds in relation to school and youth rugby in Scotland and look forward to working closely with Scottish Rugby to provide best in class opportunities for players of all abilities.”

Toni Blackhurst, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Sponsorship and Marketing said:

“inspiresport pride themselves on offering young people regardless of age or ability the opportunity to enjoy first class sports experiences. This made them a perfect fit to be the official partner of our Schools and Youth Conferences as we look to provide all young people with the chance to play rugby across the country and experience the benefits that playing the sport can bring.

“It will be great to welcome our first touring party to BT Murrayfield soon as we look to inspire youngsters through rugby both on and off the field. We are delighted to welcome the inspiresport team to Scottish Rugby’s partner family and look forward to working with them.”

Director of Rugby Development, Gav Scott added:

“Inspiresport’s commitment to the school and youth game via sponsorship of our Conferences will be hugely beneficial to the long-term success of young Scottish rugby players.

“The conferences have made a fundamental difference to how young people enjoy their first taste of competitive rugby and experience the social and physical benefits of the game. Providing a player centred, development driven, and competition supported format for youth and schools’ players has been especially important in our Return to Rugby programme this season.

“Inspiresport’s sponsorship and support of this initiative will help develop the profile of the Conferences as a cornerstone of our youth rugby work.”

January is often a month for reflection – and since March 2020 with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a lot of things to ponder on…particularly in the education, sport and travel sectors!

But did you know that inspiresport were the only school travel tour operator able to get groups away on international trips in the October half-term, just weeks after the Department of Education gave the go ahead for foreign travel?

And that got us thinking about all the other positives from the last five months..so we’ve decided to share the story so far…

The Future’s Bright

And, it seems that with each passing week, the news is improving and restrictions are easing further…which is fantastic news for our customers who have already booked their trips for 2022 and 2023.

We’ve also extended our COVID Commitment which means groups who book before the end of March 2022, will continue to benefit from our range of guarantees and reassurances.

And as fully assured members of the School Travel Forum, we’re able to exclusively offer their Travel Sure Insurance (including COVID cover) with all our bookings.

So what are you waiting for?