DFY Sports
DFY Academy Growth & Operations Manager
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The Role
Salary: £30,000 during a six-month probationary period, increasing to £35,000 after successful completion
Bonus: Up to £5,000 annually
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week, including some evenings and weekends
Location: London, with regular presence at DFY Academy sites and partner schools in Brent
Start: September 2026
About the Role
DFY is a growing London charity using sport to create confidence, belonging and opportunity for children and young people.
The DFY Academy Growth & Operations Manager will take ownership of the reliable delivery, growth and commercial development of the DFY Academy. The role will directly oversee football and basketball, coordinate Academy-wide systems and work closely with Sara, who retains ownership of dance.
This is not a maintenance-only operations role. We are looking for someone who can think commercially and creatively about how DFY can grow: increasing participation, strengthening routes from schools and communities into the Academy, developing partnerships, opening new locations and helping shape DFY’s long-term expansion across London.
The initial priorities are to:
- Stabilise Academy operations
- Grow existing football, basketball and dance programmes
- Expand into new schools and London areas
- Assess additional sports once the core Academy is operating strongly
Why Work with DFY?
The Academy is not only about running sessions or winning matches. It creates accessible pathways for children who may otherwise be excluded from organised sport and helps families and communities connect through consistent, high-quality provision.
This role offers genuine ownership and autonomy. The responsibilities below are the foundation, not the limit. The successful candidate will be encouraged to test ideas, challenge existing approaches and build new opportunities where they support DFY’s mission and are operationally and financially realistic.
Academy Operations
Key Responsibilities
Academy Operations
- Take ownership of day-to-day football and basketball operations while coordinating Academy-wide systems.
- Ensure sessions, teams, venues, coaches, registrations, fixtures, equipment and communications are organised accurately and on time.
- Manage coach rotas and resolve staffing gaps, cancellations and delivery issues quickly.
- Oversee pitches, venues, registrations, trials, waiting lists and participant onboarding.
- Ensure clear and timely communication with parents and coaches.
- Maintain accurate attendance, capacity and participant records.
- Support holiday camp delivery where required.
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Academy Sport Development
- Oversee the growth and operational delivery of football, basketball and dance.
- Manage the football and basketball head coaches, retaining accountability for participation, standards and results.
- Grow basketball across Wembley and Newman College.
- Strengthen pathways from schools, camps, community sessions and trials into Academy teams.
- Ensure teams have appropriate league, competition and friendly-fixture opportunities.
- Work alongside Sara on dance recruitment, partnerships, systems and expansion.
Growth, Schools and Partnerships
- Develop a clear growth plan for each sport and location.
- Increase regular participation and improve conversion from enquiries and free trials into retained participants.
- Prioritise outreach to new schools and identify suitable community venues and delivery locations.
- Build relationships with families, schools, community organisations and local networks.
- Maintain a pipeline of potential schools, venues, partners, sponsors and new London locations.
- Progress suitable CSR, community-impact and sponsorship opportunities with the senior team.
- Ensure growth is financially and operationally sustainable.
- Assess future opportunities in sports such as gymnastics, rugby or other locally relevant activities.
Coach Management
- Lead the football and basketball head coaches and wider freelance coaching team.
- Set clear expectations around communication, planning, safeguarding, attendance, administration and quality.
- Agree and monitor practical growth and development actions with head coaches.
- Observe sessions, give feedback and address reliability or performance concerns promptly.
- Support coach recruitment, onboarding and development.
- Build a strong team culture while retaining accountability for Academy results.
Quality, Safeguarding and Inclusion
- Ensure all activity reflects DFY’s safeguarding, inclusion and behaviour standards.
- Support coaches to adapt sessions for different abilities, SEND needs and levels of experience.
- Ensure girls’ and boys’ pathways receive equal care, ambition and attention.
- Maintain a welcoming environment where every child can belong, participate and progress.
- Ensure growth never comes at the expense of safeguarding or participant experience.
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Reporting and Sustainability
- Provide clear updates on operations, growth and emerging risks.
- Track attendance, retention, trials, conversion, income and programme costs.
- Identify under-capacity or financially unsustainable programmes and propose solutions.
- Support budgeting and forecasting for new teams, venues, sports and locations.
- Contribute to sustainable income through participant growth, schools, partnerships and viable programme development.
Essential Experience and Capabilities
- Experience managing sports, education, youth or community programmes.
- Strong organisation across staffing, scheduling, venues, logistics and communication.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and resolve operational problems independently.
- Experience in programme growth, participant recruitment, sales, business development or partnerships.
- Ability to turn outreach and relationships into measurable participation, delivery or income results.
- Commercial awareness and the ability to assess whether a new programme or location is viable.
- Experience managing or coordinating coaches, staff or freelancers.
- Confidence setting expectations, giving feedback and holding people accountable.
- Understanding of coaching quality, participant engagement and behaviour management.
- Experience working with children, young people and families from diverse backgrounds.
- Strong commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and equal access to sport.
- Clear communication with parents, schools, coaches and external partners.
- A proactive, practical and solutions-focused approach.
- Ability to work independently without micromanagement and take ownership of outcomes.
- Willingness to work on site and attend evening or weekend delivery where required.
Probation, Bonus and Development
The role begins with a six-month probationary period. Successful completion will be assessed against agreed expectations covering operational reliability, leadership, participant growth, communication, systems, quality and sustainable programme development. Following successful completion, the salary will increase from £30,000 to £35,000.
The role includes an annual performance bonus of up to £5,000.
The intention is for this position to develop into a senior management role as DFY grows, offering experience across operations, programme development, business development, people management and expansion.
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