A coach named Chris sent me a message that I have received hundreds of times.
“I want to earn money from football. Be it as a coach or start my own community. How do I make this happen?”
I could have sent him a list of pathways. But that would not have been honest.
Instead, I told him about three coaches I know who tried to turn coaching into a career.
Michael’s Story: The Club Progression Path
Michael started coaching his son’s U8 team as a volunteer. Seven years later, he is a paid academy coach at a professional club.
“It was not a plan,” Michael told me. “It was just showing up consistently while getting better.”
His path looked like this: volunteer for three years, complete his qualifications, get noticed by the club’s head of youth development, offered a paid role with the U12s, moved into the academy system two years later.
“What people do not see is the five years of unpaid work,” Michael said. “The courses I paid for myself. The sessions I ran for free to build my reputation. The opportunities I created by being where opportunities happened.”
Michael’s honest assessment: “Most capable coaches never break through. I got lucky. But I positioned myself to get lucky by doing the work when nobody was paying me.”
Sarah’s Story: The Private Coaching Business
Sarah built a private coaching business that now provides her primary income.
“It took four years,” she said. “And the first two were brutal.”
Sarah started offering one-to-one sessions while still coaching her club team. Charged £20 per session. Had three clients.
“I thought if I was good at coaching, clients would find me. That is not how it works. You have to become good at marketing, scheduling, client management, and running a business. The coaching is maybe thirty percent of what makes it work.”
By year four, Sarah had consistent clients, charged £45 per session, ran small group sessions, and earned enough to leave her office job.
“The coaches who fail at this expect to jump straight to the income part,” Sarah said. “They do not want to spend years building reputation while earning almost nothing.”
Tom’s Story: The Content Path
Tom wanted to build an online community around coaching. Five years in, it provides meaningful supplementary income.
“I thought it would take a year,” Tom admitted. “It took three before I made anything. Five before it became real money.”
Tom’s path: started a YouTube channel, posted consistently for two years with almost no viewers, built a small following, created a membership community, slowly grew it through word of mouth.
“Most coaching content creators earn nothing,” Tom said. “The ones who make it are not necessarily the best coaches. They are the ones who can communicate, stay consistent for years, and accept that growth is painfully slow.”
What I Told Chris
After sharing these stories, I gave Chris the honest assessment.
Most grassroots coaches should enjoy coaching as a hobby. Do not expect meaningful income. Appreciate the non-financial rewards.
Some grassroots coaches can supplement their income through coaching. Build side businesses. Progress to higher levels.
Few grassroots coaches will make coaching their primary income. Reach professional levels. Build successful businesses.
“That is not discouragement,” I told Chris. “That is reality calibration. The coaches who succeed understand what they are actually committing to.”
The Foundation Work
Whatever pathway you pursue, the foundation work is the same.
Build reputation first. Nobody pays unknown coaches premium rates. Volunteer. Prove yourself. Create success stories. Collect testimonials systematically.
Get qualifications. Minimum entry requirements exist. Often need Level 2+ for paid roles.
Network intentionally. Many opportunities come through connections, not applications. Be where opportunities happen.
Develop business skills. Coaching ability does not equal business ability. Learn marketing, finance, communication, and operations alongside coaching.
Think long-term. Career development takes years, not months. The coaches who expect quick results quit before the results arrive.
The Decision Point
Chris went quiet for a few days after our conversation.
Then he messaged back.
“I am going to do it anyway. Not because I am sure it will work. Because I would rather spend five years trying and failing than wonder what would have happened.”
That is the right answer.
Coaching careers are possible. They are not easy. They require genuine quality, business capability, persistence over years, and often some luck.
But they are possible.
Start where you are. Build what you can. Accept that it takes longer than you want.
See where it leads.
Want to connect with coaches building careers?
The Football Coaching Academy includes coaches at every stage of the journey, from volunteers to full-time professionals. Learn from their paths. $1/month to start.