Football is popular due to its easy-to-understand strategy, athletic thrill, and rapid commercialization. If you are a passionate footballer, then a career as a football coach is a great option for you.
Check out our resume guide to create a good resume for a football coach.
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Job Duties of a Football Coach
The coach’s responsibilities are to construct a mentally capable and creative team off-field. Below are some of the principal duties of a football coach:
Selecting team members based on their performances in prior sessions and commitment.
Providing players proper training direction, motivation, and diet advice to prepare them for games and tours.
Planning strategies while keeping players’ core skills in mind.
Evaluating team members’ skills and reviewing their performance.
Watching video or reviewing paper records of team members and the opposite team’s performance to improve the game plan.
Adjusting coaching techniques and styles based on changing trends, rules, team performance, and feedback.
Handling football training equipment safely.
Providing players a secure field and environment
Knowing first aid and medical care.
Counseling students, athletes, and professionals on academic, athletic, and personal issues.
Football Coach Median Salaries
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a football coach earns an average annual income of $47,100 as of May 2020. The pay usually fluctuates based on work experience.
Top Skills for Football Coaches
Your role as a football coach involves lots of planning and training. While crafting your football coach resume, incorporate a mix of soft and technical skills supporting your professionalism and talent.
Some of the must-have skills for football coaches are:
- Knowing and practicing football strategy techniques: The game of football is all about strategy. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for you as a football coach to know the skill of strategy management, which involves running, passing, and tackling, planning positions for pivotal moments in the game for easy decision-making during competition. You can enroll yourself in online football strategy planning and management courses by CoachTube and use the techniques to lead your team to victories.
- Performing regular player evaluations: Regular player evaluation is a large part of constructing a dynamic football team. While evaluating the team’s abilities, you can focus on their strengths and weaknesses to build the training strategy. For example, you can learn to assess the group by using Free Play. Free Play is when the team plays without strict restrictions or less limited restrictions on space and time. Also, you must be able to create your grading system and evaluate each player’s abilities. Learn the art of player assessment, blocking, personality development, and many other skills by taking courses from USA Football.
- Accurate use of football training equipment: As much as your skills and commitment are vital for football coaching, training equipment helps guide your players in the best way possible. Having a football training kit at your disposal and knowing how to use them is an essential skill you can acquire. You can keep it simple with cone drills that test agility or invest in more advanced tools like the power sled and target net. Check out the football training equipment from Power Systems to get an idea of the training tools that help your team build their strength and game.
- Injury management and prevention: Playing football involves being exposed to a high risk of injury. Therefore, coaches must gain knowledge of first aid care and the prevention of injuries. Football clubs or establishments require their coaches to know injury treatments and prepare training schedules that are not injury-prone. On the court, you will be responsible for minor injuries. Learn courses such as HEADS UP to Youth Sports: Coaches by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in concussion prevention and emergency control.
- Patience: Players learn and improve skills in different ways. You might have to deal with players that require specialized, rigorous training that takes time. Teams involve a wide variety of players with different mentalities, so it’s a plus if you have patience for leading a group of players to achieve a goal. Players need a coach that can actively listen to their concerns and take their time to plan training sessions tailored to their needs. Having patience gives you the ability to do so and to excel at your job.
- Verbal communication: Teaching is all about giving clear instructions, constructive feedback, and explaining plans. What makes a coach suitable is their ability to communicate effectively, especially in high-stress situations like games. Players want to ensure they understand you at all times and are on the same page when it comes to making game plans.
Educational Requirements for Football Coaches
The qualification and skills you require for football coaching vary depending on the specific position. Apart from having a football education and good coaching skills, you need a formal education to advance your career.
Degree
While the required qualification to coach youth leagues or other beginner-level football teams is less, a professional setting involves advanced football education. Employers usually prefer candidates that have taken courses in exercise science topics, or completed a bachelor's or associate degree program in physical education, kinesiology, or sports medicine.
The United States Sports Academy offers a Bachelor of Sports Science in Sports Management and Sports Coaching. It covers ethics, sports medicine, psychology, administrative and management functions, and skills relevant to all coaching assignments.
Kinesiology refers to the science of human movement. It covers areas such as coaching, group fitness, biomechanics, sports management, and more. The Associate of Arts in Kinesiology degree by Los Angeles Valley College offers courses in complete sports and movement management, psychology, and first aid and CPR.Certifications
A football coach needs to know the game inside and out. They should remain up-to-date on the current trends and rules of football, particularly at their specific level of play. Certifications can be obtained to improve coaching skills.- Member associations or guilds: Individuals aspiring to coach football can go for the NFHS Coach Certification Program. You can complete their series of courses from basic to advanced level. Through this certification, you enhance the ability to understand the game better and educate players.
- Nonprofit organizations: The American Red Cross offers CPR and first aid certifications to give you the ability to manage emergencies in games. More than just lead the team, employers seek candidates who can put their problem-solving skills to use when a player is injured.
- For-profit organizations: E-learning applications such as Udemy offer certification courses in professional football coaching, sports management, and first aid care. You can use this to boost your knowledge and learn more about coaching methodologies, energy intake requirements, and other topics. These e-Learning applications do not replace formal training, nor are they accredited. Use it only to advance your knowledge of football and exercise science.
Football Coach Resume-Writing Tips
If you are looking to step up your resume game, these professional tips will help you score that winning job position.
- Quantify your achievements on and off the field. Hiring managers want candidates who can achieve victories. Focusing on your success is the major resume writing tip. Always quantify your achievements in percentages and ranking to make your work experience valuable instead of writing your job duties. For example, you can write: “Developed offensive and defensive football game plans and won 75% of state games.”
- Certify your skills. The qualifications needed for football coaching are in-depth knowledge of the sport and passion. However, coaches in professional settings need to have an undergraduate degree or specific football certifications. Try adding additional skills like “emergency response” and “staff development” through certifications. It gives you an edge over other candidates.
- Use industry-relevant phrases to fit your football coach resume. Today, most football clubs, associations, and universities use applicant tracking systems like Oorwin to scan related words in your resume from their job description. So, refer to the job description and use those words while also mentioning phrases from the football industry and coaching.
- Craft a captivating resume summary or objective. Hiring managers go through numerous football coaching resumes on a day-to-day basis. Craft your professional resume for the position of a football coach in an attractive manner to catch the employer's attention since this is the first section employers see. Keep the career summary or objective to three-four lines using proper action verbs and at least one outstanding achievement.
FAQ
Do I need to be a professional football player to be a football coach?
No, it is not a requirement for a football coach to be a professional football player. If your technical game and rules know-how about football is excellent, you can train and improve players.
What is the job of a football coach like?
The work hours of football coaches usually fluctuate based on their position and level of coaching. The lower levels require evenings and weekends, while professional coaching demands more hours. It might take extra hours in peak football seasons and inter-state and international matches that include overnight stays.
Is a degree required?
No. Employers prefer candidates with a degree in any exercise science-related field, but a GED or high school diploma with some experience is enough to land a job.