UKSCA removes £12k Blackpool job ad
Written by Simon Austin — December 18, 2017
The UKSCA says it removed a controversial £12,000 Head of Sports Science job advert from its website, but has defended the decision to list it in the first place.
Blackpool advertised a Head of Academy Sports Science job that required a degree, UKSCA accreditation and experience on the site. The closing date for applications was midday today.
It drew a huge amount of criticism on social media, with Mark Gillett, the Director of Performance at West Brom, tweeting: “The salary is a disgrace. No doubt they will try to mitigate about foot on the ladder, but not acceptable in this or any other profession.”
Others questioned whether the UKSCA should have advertised the role in the first place. Aiden Oakley, S&C coach at Aspire Academy, ran a poll asking whether the ad should have been rejected, and 93% of 380 respondents said yes.
UKSCA says it removed the ad from its website on Friday, although, at the time of publication of this story, it was still available. UKSCA said the ad had been withdrawn at the request of Blackpool and defended the decision to list it.
“UKSCA facilitates the advertising of jobs but is not endorsing them in any way,” a statement read.
“Apart from internships that don’t meet legal wage requirements, which we will not advertise, we are not able to directly influence employer pay structures or job criteria.
“The market forces that drive the salaries and remuneration packages in strength and conditioning are influenced by many factors, including negative publicity, and we are aware of the power of this in educating employers and making meaningful changes in the industry.
“We are committed to presenting opportunities to our members while working to educate current and future employers about the value of our members’ services.”
