Exactly How Much a Soccer Coach Makes in 2023: Specific Examples

If you love soccer and love teaching, you may be looking to combine the two by becoming a soccer coach. One of the first things everyone looks at when considering a new job or career is how much it pays.

A soccer coach makes between $20,800 and $124,800 a year. The amount they earn will depend on what soccer level they are coaching and how many hours a week they coach. Elite-level soccer coaches can make up to $32 million a year salary.

If you look at the top coaches in world soccer, you will see they are earning huge amounts of money.

For example, Roberto Mancini is currently the highest-earning coach in world soccer. He is estimated to earn around €30 million per year as head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team.

Chances you’re not reading this as an elite-level coach(at least not yet!) trying to find out what other coaches earn.

If you’re at that coaching level, you probably already know the answer to the question!

You probably just want to know what most soccer coaches out there are getting paid.

In this post, I have researched a range of different job listings for a soccer coach from across the US. I’ve presented them all here in an easy-to-read format for you to look at and compare.

The tables below will show you the location of the coaching jobs and the amount the coach will be paid both annually and per hour.

These tables should give you a much better and clearer idea of how much a soccer coach makes.

Five Categories of Soccer Coaching Roles

I’ve also split the examples of how much soccer coaches are paid into 5 different categories.

1. Head Soccer Coach
2. Assistant Soccer Coach
3. High School Soccer Coach
4. Middle School Soccer Coach
5. Youth Soccer Coach

While researching this, I noticed that these 5 categories cover the vast majority of the available jobs. I occasionally came across a few other options (such as a soccer coach for toddlers), but those were not very common.

50 Examples From Around the US of How Much Money a Soccer Coach Makes

Let’s start by looking at what jobs are currently on offer around the country for a head soccer coach and how much they can earn.

*Note: All the results below are based on a full-time 40-hour working week. What is actually on offer when it comes to the hours available to work can and do vary between job offers.*

How Much a Head Soccer Coach Makes

A head soccer coach can make anywhere from $21,600 – $124,800 a year or $10.38 – $60 an hour. The highest-paid jobs are often reserved for top-level coaches who are highly qualified and come with significant experience.

Look at the table below for examples of head soccer coach jobs currently being advertised online.

Job Location	Salary
Los Angeles, CA	$25 – $35 an hour or $52,000 – $72,800 a year
Cheyenne, WY	$28.12 – $32.34 an hour or $58,486 – $67,259 a year
Redmond, WA	$26.71 an hour or $55,556.80 a year
Ridgecrest, CA	$60 an hour or $124,800 a year
Wheeling, WV	$20 – $45 an hour or $41,600 – $93,600 a year
Aurora, IL	$11 – $18 an hour or $22,880 – $37,440 a year
Newton, MA	$30 – $35 an hour or $62,400 – $72,800 a year
San Pablo, CA	$28.33 an hour or $58,920 a year
Green Bay, WI	$15 an hour or $31,200 a year
Port Huron, MI	$10.38 an hour or $21,600 a year

A head soccer coach should know everything there is to know about soccer ID camps. Have a look at my article – Are Soccer ID Camps Worth It? – for more info on this topic.

How Much an Assistant Soccer Coach Makes

An assistant soccer coach can make anywhere from $20,800 – $104,000 a year or $10 – $60 an hour. The highest-paid jobs are often reserved for coaches with the most qualifications and experience.

Have a look at the table below for examples of assistant soccer coach jobs currently being advertised online.

Location	Salary
Concord, MA	$18 – $40 an hour or $37,440 – $83,200 a year
Boca Raton, FL	$15 – $25 an hour or $31,200 – $52,000 a year
Brooklyn, NY	$50 an hour or $104,000 a year
Rockville, MD	$12 – $20 an hour or $24,960 – $41,600 a year
West Farmingdale, NY	$24 – $30 an hour or $49,920 – $62,400 a year
Wichita, KS	$12 – $20 an hour or $24,960 – $41,600 a year
San Jose, CA	$30 – $45 an hour or $62,400 – $93,600 a year
Morrisville, NC	$10 – $15 an hour or $20,800 – $31,200 a year
East Brunswick, NJ	$15 – $20 an hour or $31,200 – $41,600 a year
Hagerstown, MD	$16.73 an hour or $34,800 a year

How Much a High School Coach Makes

A high school soccer coach can make anywhere from $25,000 – $124,800 a year or $12.02 – $60 an hour. High schools will look to pay a coach a higher salary if they have relevant qualifications and experience.

See the table below for examples of high school soccer coach jobs currently advertised online.

Location	Salary
Arlington, VA	$30 – $60 an hour or $62,400 – $124,800 a year
Houston, TX	$15 an hour or $31,200 a year
East Otis, MA	$20 an hour or $41,600 a year
Fort Worth, TX	$36 – $40 an hour or $74,880 – $83,200 a year
Ann Arbor, MI	$27.03 – $35.15 an hour or $56,232 – $73,104 a year
Springfield, MO	$28.53 an hour or $59,342 a year
Clarksville, TN	$12.02 an hour or $25,000 – $30,000 a year
Los Angeles, CA	$25 an hour or $52,000 a year
Westford, MA	$15 – $20 an hour or $31,200 – $41,600 a year
Santa Monica, CA	$31 an hour or $64,720 a year

For more information about high school soccer, check out one of my related articles: What are high school soccer tryouts REALLY like? or High school Vs professional soccer field.

How Much a Middle School Coach Makes

A middle school coach can make anywhere from $20,000 – $68,848 a year or $9.62 – $33.1 an hour. Middle school coaches are less well-paid than other soccer coaches, but their earnings can increase with qualifications and experience.

See the table below for examples of middle school soccer coach jobs currently advertised online.

Location	Salary
Houston, TX	$15 an hour or $31,200 a year
Burlington, NC	$16.83 – $24.52 an hour or $35,000 – $51,000 a year
Nashville, TN	$12 – $18 an hour or $24,960 – $37,440 a year
American Fork, UT	$12.02 – $17.31 an hour or $25,000 – $36,000 a year
Fairfield, CA	$33.1 an hour or $68,848 a year
Philadelphia, PA	$11 – $12 an hour or $22,880 – $24,960 a year
Los Angeles, CA	$15.00 – $15.50 an hour or $31,200 – $32,240 a year
Wheat Ridge, CO	$11.92 – $16.68 an hour or $24,794 – $34,694 a year
Knoxville, TN	$9.62 an hour or $20,000 a year
Obispo, CA	$10.38 an hour or $21,600 a year

How Much a Youth Soccer Coach Makes

A youth soccer coach can make anywhere from $20,800 – $120,000 a year or $10 – $57.69 an hour.

How much a youth soccer coach earns will depend upon the team’s success and reputation, along with the coach’s experience and qualifications.

Check out the table below for examples of youth soccer coach jobs currently being advertised online.

Location	Salary
Nashville, TN	$19.23 – $26.44 an hour or $40,000 – $55,000 a year
Brooklyn, NY	$15 – $40 an hour or $31,200 – $83,200 a year
Santa Monica, LA	$27 an hour or $56,160 a year
Ames, IA	$17.73 an hour or $36,888 a year
Phoenix, AZ	$14.03 an hour or $29,172 a year
Texarkana, TX	$57.69 an hour or $120,000 a year
Sugar Grove, IL	$28.85 an hour or $60,000 a year
Schererville, IN	$10 – $15 an hour or $20,800 – $31,200 a year
Denton, TX	$19.71 an hour or $41,004 a year
Chicago Heights, IL	$12.69 an hour or $26,400 a year

For more information on youth soccer, check out my article on Youth Soccer Positions. For a complete guide on how to be a youth soccer coach, check out my article – How to Coach Youth Soccer: My Top Tips.

So What Is the Average Salary for a Soccer Coach?

By looking through the information and research above, based on a selection of jobs being advertised right now, we can see the average salary of a soccer coach.

On average, a soccer coach makes approximately $50,000 a year or $24 an hour.

A soccer coach’s earnings depend on a variety of factors, including the team’s success and age and the coach’s reputation, experience, and qualifications.

There are obviously a lot of variables around these numbers.

And it is important to remember this is an average, not an exact figure that all coaches will earn. But this should give you a good idea of what amount of money a soccer coach can make.

How Much Top-level Soccer Coaches Earn

Now we have established what the majority of soccer coaches make; you may still be interested in what sort of money is made at the very top of the game.

Although coaches change often and contracts are regularly renegotiated, I have listed below the current top-earning coaches in world soccer right now.

This should give you an idea of how much money coaches at the very highest level of soccer make.

Coach	Club	Annual Salary
Roberto Mancini	Saudi Arabia	€30 million
Pep Guardiola	Manchester City	€23 million
Steven Gerrard	Al Ettifaq	€17.7 million
Diego Simeone	Atletico Madrid	€15 million
Thomas Tuchel	Bayern Munich	€12 million

Qualifications Needed for Coaching Soccer

To be a good soccer coach, you need to know what you’re doing and what you’re talking about. One of the best ways to do that is to get a coaching qualification.

With the right coaching qualification, you are much more likely to be offered a soccer coaching job and earn the amount of money on offer.

What Qualifications Does a Soccer Coach Need?

You often don’t need a qualification to coach a recreational or youth team.

They are often just looking for volunteers to help out, and any knowledge or experience of the game is good. This can be a great place to start if you’re looking for some experience coaching, and you can find my best advice from my experience coaching in my article – How To Coach Youth Soccer: My Top Tips.

Having a qualification, however, is not only an advantage when coaching; but many organizations actually require one when you apply for a job as a coach.

Coaching License Pathway from US Soccer

US Soccer offers a Coaching License Pathway that is universally accepted and recognized across the US.

Other than having a bachelor’s degree, which some of the higher-level coaching jobs require, these are the most important qualifications.

There are 10 different levels to their courses –

• 4×4 – online or in-person course
• 7×7 – online or in-person course
• 9×9 – online or in-person course
• 11×11 – online or in-person course
• D – in-person course
• C – in-person course
• B – in-person course
• A Senior – in-person course
• A Youth – in-person course
• Pro – in-person course

As you move further along the pathway, the prerequisites, time commitment, and evaluation criteria become increasingly more robust.

The first few levels up to “D” are designed more for people coaching at a grassroots level. From there, the coaching courses are aimed at people coaching at a professional level.

Many high schools and colleges prefer a coach to have at least achieved level “D” of the Coaching License Pathway.

For a youth soccer coach, the expectation is often lower.

As I have mentioned before, this does vary from coaching role to coaching role. Some coach’s roles only need experience, whereas some roles at the very top of the game require a Pro coaching qualification.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, a soccer coach can make a reasonable income at any level of the game.

But as you progress up into the more competitive and professional games, you will require a higher level of qualifications and experience, but you will also earn more for the coaching ability that you bring to the role.

If you found this post helpful, you may also enjoy reading another one of my related articles:

• Do soccer players get paid more than football players?
• Do soccer players get paid more than basketball players?
• Do college soccer players get paid?

*Check out the next post – Soccer vs Football – How The Sports Compare*