Sports and leisure assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time sports and leisure assistants in the UK earned a median £26,934 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 31% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (44th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £23,762 and £30,474.
Median full-time pay: women £26,931 a year, men £26,860 a year.
Most jobs here are part-time: 17,000 of about 63,000 are full-time.
From £21,113 in 2021, the median is up 27.6%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 79,900 people in this line of work, 15% of them in North West.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £21,072* | £454.50 | £12.28 | £2,797* | – | £11.42 |
| 20th percentile | £23,013 | £477.50 | £12.67 | – | £77.50* | £12.21 |
| 25th percentile | £23,762 | £489.50 | £12.80 | £6,771* | £103.00* | £12.35 |
| 30th percentile | £24,481 | £503.70 | £13.01 | £8,134* | £133.00* | £12.50 |
| 40th percentile | £25,629 | £517.60 | £13.79 | £11,026* | £186.30 | £12.83 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £26,934 | £533.00 | £14.26 | £14,366* | £251.20 | £13.28 |
| 60th percentile | £27,606 | £549.90 | £14.78 | £18,599* | £310.10 | £13.89 |
| 70th percentile | £29,384 | £588.80 | £15.35 | £23,335 | £414.60* | £14.47 |
| 75th percentile | £30,474* | £614.00 | £15.69 | £25,017 | £467.00 | £14.74 |
| 80th percentile | – | £633.30* | £16.01 | £26,158 | £505.20 | £15.15 |
| Mean | £28,005 | £569.70 | £14.74 | £16,250 | £290.30 | £14.30 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £21,113 | £400.70 | £10.66 | – | £195.50* | 47 |
| 2022 revised | £22,522 | £430.60 | £11.42 | £14,838* | £225.80* | 57 |
| 2023 revised | £22,307 | £468.40 | £12.16 | – | £230.20* | 57 |
| 2024 revised | £24,462 | £485.00 | £12.75 | – | £202.80 | 67 |
| 2025 provisional | £26,934 | £533.00 | £14.26 | £14,366* | £251.20 | 63 |
Sports and leisure assistants by region
UK: 79,900 (± 11,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 9 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 11,700* | ± 4,100 |
| South East | 11,000* | ± 4,200 |
| Scotland | 10,500* | ± 3,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What sports and leisure assistants do
Sports and leisure assistants, provide and maintain facilities for sporting and recreational activities and supervise their use, maintain the continuity of entertainment and social events, offer odds and accept bets on the result of sporting and other events, control gambling activities, work behind the scenes in production and broadcasting enterprises in a supporting role to ensure operations run smoothly. (ONS SOC 2020, 6211)
Also covers: croupier, leisure attendant, lifeguard, runner (broadcasting), sports assistant, beach lifeguard, book maker, caddy master, centre attendant, collections assistant, commission agent, dealer (casino), dresser (entertainment), duty officer, games attendant, gaming supervisor, gym assistant and gymnasium attendant (62 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Maintains sports and leisure equipment and prepares equipment for use
- Supervises the use of swimming pools, gymnasium apparatus, fitness machines and other recreational equipment
- Work in teams patrolling popular stretches of the coast, advising people when and where they can swim safely and making rescues when necessary
- Maintains hygienic operation of swimming pools and associated facilities such as hot tubs, showers and changing areas
- Carries clubs for golfers, advises on the layout and distance of golf courses and appropriate choice of golf club
- Announces acts, makes introductions, proposes toasts and maintains the continuity of entertainment events and social functions
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. A variety of vocational qualifications are available in Sports and Recreation and Leisure and Tourism.
Related
Leisure and travel services (median £30,792) · Travel agents · Air travel assistants · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026