Annual Salary
£19,000 to £29,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Football coaches teach skills and tactics to individuals and teams, and motivate them to fulfil their potential.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; flexibly
There will be
0.5% more Football coach jobs in 2027.
As a football coach, you would:plan and run coaching sessions; work on game tactics; give feedback on performance and fitness, and set targets; offer guidance on nutrition and injury prevention; keep up to date with good coaching practice; motivate players to develop a positive mental attitude, confidence and self-discipline
You may need to wear a uniform.
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 can get into this job through:
You could study for a foundation degree or degree in a subject like:
There are also undergraduate and postgraduate courses that combine football coaching with other subjects, such as:
You'll usually need some experience in coaching to apply for a postgraduate course.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, which could help you to get started in football coaching.
Courses include:
If you hold a UEFA coaching licence, you could do a course in coaching game based football.
You could apply for a place on a Community Activator Coach Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship or the Sports Coach Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship.
These typically take 1 year and 6 months to complete and are a mix of workplace learning and study.
You'll usually need:
You can start as a volunteer at your local amateur football club. This will help to build up your experience and could lead onto training for coaching qualifications.
You can contact your county football association to learn more about volunteering opportunities.
You can also do online introductory courses while volunteering, through England Football Learning. These include:
If you're currently coaching a football team, you could apply to do a coaching course or licence.
These start at foundation level and UEFA C Licence, and go up to UEFA Pro Licence aimed at coaches working in professional football.
You can also do courses which cover different age groups, abilities and types of football, such as futsal.
You'll need to:
Many paid coaching positions are part time, so the salary will reflect that. Salaries for coaches in English professional football are much higher than for those working in education, the community and for smaller football clubs.
You can find out more about a career in football coaching through England Football Learning and UK Coaching.
As a community football coach, you could move into sports development or youth work after further training.
As a coach with a professional or semi-professional team, you might move to a bigger club to advance your career.
You could also complete higher level coaching awards, or specialise in a particular area like:goalkeeper or set piece coaching; sports psychology; mentoring new coaches
You can find out more about a career in coaching through The Football Association and UK Coaching.
You'll need: