Football Coach

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

36 to 38 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays flexibly

How To Become a Football Coach

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
volunteering
specialist courses run by a professional body

College / University

There are undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications for football coaching as well as courses that combine football coaching with subjects like:

sports business
management
talent development

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

You could do a college course, which will help you to get started. Relevant subjects include:

Level 2 Certificate in Football Coaching Studies
Level 3 Diploma in Sport with Football
Level 3 Diploma Sport Development and Fitness

Apprenticeship

You could do an intermediate apprenticeship as a sport community activator coach, if you want to work as a football coach in the community.

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

Other Routes

You can do coaching qualifications offered by The Football Association.

Qualifications start at beginner's Level 1 and go all the way up to the Level 5 UEFA Pro Licence for the professional game.

Contact your local County Football Association to get more details about courses.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

leadership skills
the ability to teach pupils how to do something
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
excellent verbal communication skills
knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to use your initiative
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

In this role you could:

plan and run amateur, semi-professional or professional coaching sessions
give feedback on performance and fitness
discuss individual player and team tactics
offer guidance on nutrition and injury prevention
keep up to date with good coaching practice
help players keep a positive mental attitude and self-discipline

Working Environment

You could work in the community, at a school, at a college, at a university or at a sports arena.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, physically demanding and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career Path & Progression

As a community coach, with further training, you could move into sports development or youth work. As a coach with a professional team, you could move to a bigger or higher profile club.

You could also move into a specialist area like sports psychology or goalkeeping coaching.

The FA Licensed Coaches' Club offers continuing training and progression for coaches.

Volunteering Opportunities

You could start as a volunteer at your local amateur football club.

This will help to build up your experience and could lead into training for professional coaching qualifications.

Tips & Information

Career tips

You'll need some footballing ability so that you can demonstrate skills and techniques when coaching. Getting experience of working with players from a variety of backgrounds and abilities is also useful.

Salaries for coaches in English professional football are much higher than those working in education, the community and for smaller football clubs.

Further information

You can find out more about a career in coaching through The Football Association and UK Coaching.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

be over 16 years of age
pass enhanced background checks, as you may be working with children and vulnerable adults

You'll also need to do The FA Safeguarding Children Workshop.