D3 coaching...rewards, and not so much

[PaulNewman]

Decided to start a new thread instead of mucking up SC's channel, but the Zack Grady interview and posts made me wonder again about compensation.  Grady grew up very near us and played for the same club as my son and is probably 30 or 31.  I'm guessing this has been reviewed before, but how many of these coaches can support themselves (and family if they have one) on a D3 coaching salary?  I'm totally guessing but I'll guess that salaries generally range from 50K-85K (lower for some if part-time at schools where money is really tight and maybe more for a few on the high end).  Or are there a lot of coaches that make 100K+?  Do a lot of coaches have supplemental income (camps, club coaching, etc), or do some need second almost full-time jobs?

[NoSuchThingAsOffsides]

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/jobs/soccer-coaches-salaries/

Some will depend on CoL where the coach is located and what opportunities are available in those areas as well. There are some ADs who will discourage other jobs while others fully understand the need for further compensation.

Many/most coaches have other sources of income (camps/clinics/clubs/bartending or even other on campus rolls in admissions, student life, housing etc). When you see coaches pushing camps or clinics that kick to websites off their official school page that make allusions to the mascot but with no official branding, those are personally run enterprises where they can pocket and distribute the proceeds.

With the wide range of schools in D3, the compensation, even for head coaches, can vary wildly. While they won't put it in the job listing, there are head coaching positions that pay $25,000 a year that have more responsibilities than positions that pay 60 or 70 because the smaller school doesn't have a travel coordinator to get buses or the coach may be responsible for driving a van. That coach is likely designing workouts as well b/c there is no human performance staff (or they only work with FB).

[PaulNewman]

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/jobs/soccer-coaches-salaries/

Some will depend on CoL where the coach is located and what opportunities are available in those areas as well. There are some ADs who will discourage other jobs while others fully understand the need for further compensation.

Many/most coaches have other sources of income (camps/clinics/clubs/bartending or even other on campus rolls in admissions, student life, housing etc). When you see coaches pushing camps or clinics that kick to websites off their official school page that make allusions to the mascot but with no official branding, those are personally run enterprises where they can pocket and distribute the proceeds.

With the wide range of schools in D3, the compensation, even for head coaches, can vary wildly. While they won't put it in the job listing, there are head coaching positions that pay $25,000 a year that have more responsibilities than positions that pay 60 or 70 because the smaller school doesn't have a travel coordinator to get buses or the coach may be responsible for driving a van. That coach is likely designing workouts as well b/c there is no human performance staff (or they only work with FB).

Thanks for this.  Even more grim than I thought.  The pie chart doesn't seem to match the bar charts but in any case there is an even larger percentage below 50K than I expected, and more below 30K than expected.  A decent chunk (20%?) in the 50-75K range, and less than 5% in the 75-100K and above ranges.

[SimpleCoach]

One of the reasons I did not go this route ... just didn't see the financial picture clearly enough.

This is the math I think paints the picture that I thought required a lot of work for so little.

Head Coach Salary - $35,000
Additional Responsibility/Role in Athletic Department - $20,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $70,000 ... if you are lucky.

You also end up exhausted and frustrated at the end of the year....

Even better is if you get a full time asst. coaching position.

Asst. Coach Salary - $12,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $27,000 ... if they are really lucky and if they don't take a side job. 

[Kuiper]

One of the reasons I did not go this route ... just didn't see the financial picture clearly enough.

This is the math I think paints the picture that I thought required a lot of work for so little.

Head Coach Salary - $35,000
Additional Responsibility/Role in Athletic Department - $20,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $70,000 ... if you are lucky.

You also end up exhausted and frustrated at the end of the year....

Even better is if you get a full time asst. coaching position.

Asst. Coach Salary - $12,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $27,000 ... if they are really lucky and if they don't take a side job.

I would add that the numbers are both worse and better than they appear.  They are worse in the sense that the top end HC salaries are often in high cost places where the money doesn't go nearly as far as in your classic college towns.  They are better, though, if they are full time positions that provide the same health/retirement benefits available to other university employees.  The survey data from United Soccer Coaches only covered base salaries.  At some state schools, a $70K salary can be accompanied by $30K worth of benefits.  Those benefits are what you typically can't get through a club coaching or technical director position.

[Ejay]

I know the NJAC coaches are paid between $75-$100k+ from their respective schools (public schools have publicly accessible salary databases). I also know they make additional money via camps, club teams, etc.


[SimpleCoach]

One of the reasons I did not go this route ... just didn't see the financial picture clearly enough.

This is the math I think paints the picture that I thought required a lot of work for so little.

Head Coach Salary - $35,000
Additional Responsibility/Role in Athletic Department - $20,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $70,000 ... if you are lucky.

You also end up exhausted and frustrated at the end of the year....

Even better is if you get a full time asst. coaching position.

Asst. Coach Salary - $12,000
Club Training - $15,000

Total Annual Income - $27,000 ... if they are really lucky and if they don't take a side job.

I would add that the numbers are both worse and better than they appear.  They are worse in the sense that the top end HC salaries are often in high cost places where the money doesn't go nearly as far as in your classic college towns.  They are better, though, if they are full time positions that provide the same health/retirement benefits available to other university employees.  The survey data from United Soccer Coaches only covered base salaries.  At some state schools, a $70K salary can be accompanied by $30K worth of benefits.  Those benefits are what you typically can't get through a club coaching or technical director position.

Agreed.  Benefits can be generous, but definitely not available to a part time assistant.  There is also a tuition benefit for offspring to be able to go to college at little to no cost. 

What I also didn't include were camps.  I've heard some stories about head coaches keeping all the $$ they get ... pretty egregious if you ask me ... and then I have heard of coaches giving the money to the assistants to augment their salaries. 

[EnmoreCat]

Given what might be asked from a coach for that 35k and the 24-7 nature of the role, particularly during season, I can only say they all have my admiration and respect.  The potential extras like camps, high school/club coaching might improve that final number, but will also mean even less personal time.  We spent some time with a successful D3 programme back in 2018 and it was the coaching staff all driving the mini-buses there and back for a 3 hour plus round trip and that was after they had already been up early to get the buses and then finishing very late returning the team.  Nothing new I know, but I can only imagine it's pretty challenging.

[Ron Boerger]

These are very grim figures, but they are also nearly five years old.  I would hope there had been some improvement in the intervening time period but the pandemic may certainly have impacted any growth.

[NoSuchThingAsOffsides]

For the d3 world at least, I don't think salaries are moving much. Most year to year raises don't even cover inflation and the only way to really grow your base compensation is by moving to new schools and trying to leverage that. Even then, for some schools there is little room for negotiation as the position is budgeted a set amount and it's take it or leave it. Yes it is probably different for a chunk of schools, mainly for the HC position. Given the state of many colleges' finances, I don't see the overall compensation strategy for d3 soccer coaches changing any time soon.

I'd definitely acknowledge that the benefits are typically pretty good, even at smaller schools. Not to mention the less tangible things like access to facilities, travel, gear, etc. Though how quickly you vest into retirement contributions seems to be a toss of the dice.

I feel like I see it less for d3 and more at NAIA and JUCO schools, but housing and meal benefits are sometimes available to assistant coaches. Yes you end up being a residential director or whatever, but depending on where you would be living, it can make the positions more palatable, though still not great.