I was researching how large some clubs are across the country and with so many players involved and prices so high, do any club coaches actually quit their day job? Maybe just coaching director? I know camps are a big money grabber. I'm speaking about youth
One of my old coaches supposedly quit his day job but he took a CD position. My dad saw him about 5 years ago and asked what he was up to. He told him he took this position at another club out of the area and was making $50k a year. Both my father and I find this hard to believe but thats the only person who did "quit" that I know of.
I left an engineering job almost 10 years ago to coach full time. It hasn't quite worked out how I envisioned it, although I am coaching or involved in soccer or other athletics full-time. I ended up essentially having 5 or 6 part-time jobs. I coach 2 teams for a club, as well as do some goalkeeper training for them. I run a few of my own camps & clinics, and do regular private training. I contract out with a local indoor facility to run youth soccer programs for them. I referee some, and assign referees for a few organizations. Oh, and I also got a part-time position teaching elementary PE at a small school. Put it all together, and I make half what I would if I were still an engineer.
I know a lot of people who make or made their living through coaching and playing and writing about soccer. Have any of them become millionaires yes. All of them were working in other careers and left those careers to coach soccer, play and write exclusively about soccer. I know of only one guy who was able to make a living writing just about soccer. Before that he wrote about a lot of things. As for me I never coached for the money because I know the money could never compare what I was making on other things once I hit 23 years old. In fact I have lost money coaching. The most money I ever made coaching senior adult soccer was apx 35 thousand a season. I used that money on our players and a lot more of my own.
most of the coaches in my club only coach...I do know most of the CD's in the area at least with the bigger clubs make over 100k a year.
I tip my hat to you and the few others like you that post here. I get the impression that even if you are coaching a college team, that most of the jobs don't pay much considering the time and expertise required (i.e., a 4 year academic degree plus an advanced coaching license).
In SoCal, there seem to be lots of coaches and CDs at the big clubs that do nothing but coach. I don't know how they get health insurance, but most seem to be doing fine money wise.
Thats my biggest problem right now...Ive been coaching full time. lost my health insurance last year... btw i live in Nor Cal
I guess it depends how good you are....I have a friend who is an academy directors who started on a nice wage of $40,000 with coaching incentives. I also know DOCs who are at the opposite of the scale and earn close to 100k a year ! If you are experienced, qualified and KNOW the right people you can earn a lot of money.
I see a lot of college coaches who coach in the club scene also, I'm sure that helps fill up their wallets.
The most I know of a personal friend making as a coach was 200 thousand a year. It was only for 2 years.
Considering how the last six months have gone for me, I'd just be happy if my teams paid me. My club is regularly behind and the amount varies. I had one team completely screw me and not pay anything (I dropped them) and then my non-club boys team decided they were "too poor" to pay October.
I think there are a lot of jobs available for coaching soccer fulltime, however a lot of it has to do with location and quality of life. I coach part-time at a club near me that has seven full time coaches. The DOC, a competitive director, youth director, and then several support coaches who have various duties inside the club like tournaments, referees, league scheduling, etc. tacked onto their duties coaching four or five teams. In Dallas I was offered a job to coach a youth team for $800 a month, but it was definitely on the low end because several friends of mine coached with FC Dallas Youth for $1,200 per month per team. I think most team coaches piece their salary together as a private contractor between coaching several teams, camps, and private lessons. Getting a Technical Director or DOC is definitely the way to go if you live in a soccer "hot bed" like Dallas or SoCal. A coaching friend of mine left college coaching to be a U14 Boy's Technical Director for a club in SoCal and was making $150K to supervise about 500 boys that were in the younger age groups.
It's definitely possible but it will be long hours to make average pay. If you don't mind working 7 days a week and travelling all over you can make it work but won't get rich on it. Some top CD at top clubs can make between 50-100k but your working with recruiting, curriculum, clinic setups, insurance, etc... so there is a lot of paperwork to do and a lot of long hours while still training yourself usually.
In the KY region, the "paying" jobs for coaching club soccer are few and far between. Most of the region here is basketball oriented so I'm guessing the $$ for coaching soccer/football is location, location, location.