Sports facility attendant

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a sports facility attendant for the City of Pieksämäki. My tasks include maintaining the city's sports facilities, servicing the machines and equipment needed to perform the tasks, performing minor repairs, and keeping the environment neat and tidy.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I trained as an institutional cook in the 90s, but I haven't worked a single day as a cook. Instead, I’ve had numerous other jobs. I’ve worked as a caretaker, a courier, in property maintenance and in the care sector. After working in the care sector, I got a job as a group facilitator in rehabilitative work activities for the City of Pieksämäki. This led to an opportunity to start work as a sports facility attendant for the city.

Describe your typical working day or week.

My working day starts in a shared service space for employees, where I meet my colleagues. My daily tasks vary by season. In winter, when the weather permits, we start making ski tracks early in the morning, and it takes five to six hours to cover all the routes. Sports facility attendants also need to know how to maintain outdoor and indoor skating rinks, as we sometimes have to substitute for ice rink maintenance staff.

In spring, sports facility attendants fertilise and aerate the city’s football pitches. During summer, we mow the football pitches and mark the lines on them. Sports facility attendants also manage artificial turf fields, tennis courts and pesäpallo fields and mark the boccia court. In autumn, we prepare the ski route network for winter, for example by clearing brushwood. Our working day also includes keeping the environment tidy, emptying bins and performing small repairs.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

Most of the time, we are outdoors at the mercy of the weather. A motor vehicle of some sort is often needed. You must be able to ensure your own safety and adapt to the weather, the season and the task at hand.

Working hours vary depending on your responsibilities. I usually work regular office hours, but in winter I make ski tracks as weather permits.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

In general, you have to have a Further Vocational Qualification in Sports Facilities Maintenance to be employed. If you wish, you can complete the qualification through an apprenticeship. This is what I did. As the job involves a lot of outdoor work, you must enjoy spending time outdoors. You should have a BE driving licence, at minimum. Knowing how to build things and being able to do small repairs is an advantage, but it’s not a must.

What is the best thing about your profession?

I like getting to spend a lot of time outdoors and seeing the seasons change, and my colleagues are great.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Rainy summers make it difficult to maintain football pitches, and sometimes the darkness of winter feels heavy. This is also quite a lonely job.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a sports facility attendant?

Sports facility attendants are mainly employed by municipalities and cities, which means that salaries are not very high. However, the work is versatile and it’s nice to see the results of your work every day. We beaver away in the background, and people don’t necessarily notice the work we do—except if it’s left undone.

How do you see the future of your profession?

Municipalities will probably continue to be responsible for the management of sports facilities in the future, so new professionals will be needed. At least in Pieksämäki, sports facility attendants are very committed to their work, and staff turnover is low. Perhaps this indicates that people enjoy the job.