With the Winter Olympics just behind us, and the FIFA World Cup still going on,2010 is becoming an exciting year for international sports. Although extra-curricular activities and education do not seem to mix on the surface, there are plenty of viable career paths that are just as healthy as the exercise you may be getting.

If you are interested in sports and are looking at the industry, whether that be hockey, soccer, baseball, rugby etc., you have probably noticed that there are plenty of jobs in the field. The most apparent and sought after being performance.

Vince Sasso, senior high school student, and soccer player for the Toronto Football Clubʼs (TFC) senior academy team has spent plenty of years training within the Canadian Soccer League in hopes of a scholarship and viable career opportunities.

Vince has found his experience training with the TFC to be extremely useful.

“I’ve gained so much development as a player and a person, I’ve increased my speed, power, and tactical awareness, and improved good old fashioned teamwork abilities” he noted.

He has been actively honing his playing skills, but says that, “it takes more than just talent to make it, it depends on your background and experiences too”.

Many young athletes find gaining quality experience and exposure to be the most difficult barrier in fulfilling their career goals.

“The TFC helps us with scholarship opportunities because the coaches always look at the professional youth club teams in big tournaments like the Dallas Cup” Vince said. The young and ambitious soccer player is looking to study abroad as well, looking at American post-secondary schools such as North Carolina.

“Itʼs a tough one, but first Iʼm going to try and get a scholarship” Vince claims.However, if you are in to sports and do not want to or canʼt get into performance not to fret! There are plenty of more prospects within this industry to satisfy your passion for the game. Remember that the sports industry does not only deal with players, there are many people behind the scenes to make the games possible.

Taking an internship with a sports franchise is a rather common endeavor for beginners in the business and marketing field. So if this is a field of study you want to focus on you may want to do some research on what kind of companies run and manage the game. Want to still be close to the game? There are even coaching, training and referee internships available.

If traveling is your cup of tea an internship may be right for you? According to sportscareer.com an internship can have you hitting a home run by placing you in a position for the jobs you are training for. Now that is practicality! HOWEVER , like most dream jobs, post-secondary education and and volunteer experience within the field is highly recommended.

Is a career and education in sports viable? The answer is an obvious yes. The sports industry like any other business has its own microcosm of jobs for various people with various skills. So get in the game and start playing!