Coaches and Scouts

Education and TrainingO*NET 27-2022.00United States

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for the primary purpose of competition. Demonstrate techniques and methods of participation.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$46,992

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+10.8%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Bachelor's degree

48.9% of the workforce

Employment
313.61K jobs

Growing to 347.58K by 2035

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Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What coaches and scouts do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions.
  • Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours.
  • Adjust coaching techniques, based on the strengths and weaknesses of athletes.
  • Plan strategies and choose team members for individual games or sports seasons.
  • Instruct individuals or groups in sports rules, game strategies, and performance principles, such as specific ways of moving the body, hands, or feet, to achieve desired results.
  • Counsel student athletes on academic, athletic, and personal issues.
  • Monitor the academic eligibility of student athletes.
  • Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams to develop game strategies.
  • Coordinate travel arrangements and travel with team to away contests.
  • Evaluate athletes' skills and review performance records to determine their fitness and potential in a particular area of athletics.
  • Monitor athletes' use of equipment to ensure safe and proper use.
  • Keep abreast of changing rules, techniques, technologies, and philosophies relevant to their sport.
  • Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations.
  • Contact the parents of players to provide information and answer questions.
  • Arrange and conduct sports-related activities, such as training camps, skill-improvement courses, clinics, and pre-season try-outs.
  • Explain and demonstrate the use of sports and training equipment, such as trampolines or weights.
  • Perform activities that support a team or a specific sport, such as participating in community outreach activities, meeting with media representatives, and appearing at fundraising events.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$26,229
25th percentile
$33,626
50th percentile
$46,992
75th percentile
$66,789
90th percentile
$106,625

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $46,992 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+10.8%faster than average
2025313,608 jobs
2035 projected347,581 jobs

33,973 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree
48.9%
Master's or Professional degree
19.4%
Associate degree
17.4%
High school diploma or less
12.5%
Doctoral degree or more
1.8%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Sports Coaching
  • Lesson Planning
  • First Aid
  • Fundraising
  • Working With Children
  • Life Coaching
  • Strength Training And Conditioning
  • Public Relations
  • Swimming
  • Physical Fitness
  • Lifting Ability
  • Tennis Instruction
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
  • Statistics
  • Parent Communication
  • Concussion Management
  • Physical Education
  • Athletic Training
  • Sports Injuries
  • Wrestling

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Swim Instructors4,505 postings
  2. 02Head Swim Instructors3,264 postings
  3. 03Assistant Football Coaches2,863 postings
  4. 04Tennis Coaches2,496 postings
  5. 05Cheerleading Coaches2,408 postings
  6. 06Soccer Coaches2,403 postings
  7. 07Middle School Coaches1,928 postings
  8. 08High School Coaches1,894 postings
  9. 09Boys Basketball Coaches1,872 postings
  10. 10Picklers1,867 postings
  11. 11Volleyball Coaches1,816 postings
  12. 12Lacrosse Coaches1,750 postings
  13. 13Assistant Baseball Coaches1,734 postings
  14. 14Assistant Softball Coaches1,637 postings
  15. 15Strength and Conditioning Coaches1,595 postings
  16. 16Baseball Coaches1,553 postings
  17. 17Youth Soccer Coaches1,551 postings
  18. 18Assistant Volleyball Coaches1,509 postings
  19. 19Flag Football Coaches1,328 postings
  20. 20Head Football Coaches1,303 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Teachme.to7,570 postings
  2. 02Edjoin.Org2,355 postings
  3. 03YMCA1,942 postings
  4. 04Instaswim1,286 postings
  5. 05Calex Sports978 postings
  6. 06Sunsational Swim School916 postings
  7. 07The Little Dribbler LLC826 postings
  8. 08National Collegiate Athletic Association806 postings
  9. 09Champion Force Athletics767 postings
  10. 10State Of West Virginia645 postings
  11. 11Serco583 postings
  12. 12Colleyville Lifetime Fitness581 postings
  13. 13Super Soccer Stars529 postings
  14. 14Life Time493 postings
  15. 15Herc451 postings
  16. 16High School331 postings
  17. 17Broward County Public Schools313 postings
  18. 18Beaufort County School District291 postings
  19. 19Montgomery County Public Schools258 postings
  20. 20Dayton Public Schools256 postings

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