Coaches and Scouts

Coaches teach amateur and professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players, evaluating their skills and likelihood for success at the amateur, college, or professional level. Many coaches also are involved in scouting potential athletes for their team.

Duties

Coaches typically do the following:

• Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes and opposing teams
• Plan strategies and choose team members for each competition
• Direct, encourage, and motivate athletes to prepare them for competitions
• Call plays and make decisions about strategy and athlete substitutions during competitions
• Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that enable athletes to reach maximum performance
• Instruct athletes on proper techniques, strategies, sportsmanship, and the rules of the sport
• Keep records of athletes’ and opponents’ performances
• Identify and recruit potential athletes
• Arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

Coaches teach amateur and professional athletes the fundamental skills of individual and team sports. They hold practice and training sessions to improve the athletes’ form, skills, and stamina. Along with refining athletes’ individual skills, coaches are responsible for instilling the importance of good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit, and teamwork.

Many coaches evaluate their opponents to determine strategies and to establish particular plays to practice. During competition, coaches call specific plays intended to defeat, surprise, or overpower the opponent, and they also may substitute players to get optimum team chemistry and success.

Some high school coaches are teachers or school administrators who supplement their income by coaching part time.

Coaches may assign specific drills and correct athletes’ techniques. They may spend their time working one-on-one with athletes, designing customized training programs. Coaches also may specialize in teaching the skills of an individual sport, such as golf, ice skating, or tennis. Some coaches, such as baseball coaches, may teach individual athletes involved in team sports.

Scouts typically do the following:

• Research news media and other sources to find athletes to consider
• Attend competitions, view videos of the athletes’ performances, and study data about the athletes to determine their talent and potential
• Talk to the athlete and the coaches to gauge whether the athlete is likely to be successful
• Report to the coach, manager, or owner of the team for which he or she is scouting
• Arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

Scouts assess the skills of both amateur and professional athletes. Scouts seek out top athletic candidates for colleges or professional teams and evaluate their likelihood of success at a higher competitive level.

Coaches and scouts held about 306,500 jobs in 2024. The largest employers of coaches and scouts were as follows:

Some scouts work for organizations that deal directly with high school athletes. These scouts collect information on the athlete and help sell his or her talents to potential colleges.

At the college level, scouts typically work for scouting organizations or are self-employed. In either case, they help colleges recruit the best high school athletes.

Scouts who work at the professional level are typically employed by the team or organization directly.

Those who coach and scout for outdoor sports may be exposed to all weather conditions of the season. In addition, they travel often to attend sporting events. This is particularly true for those in professional sports.

Work Schedules

Part-time work is common for coaches and scouts. Their work schedules vary and may involve irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Full-time coaches may work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports season. High school coaches may work part time and have other jobs aside from coaching.

Coaches and scouts typically need a bachelor’s degree. However, educational requirements may vary from no formal educational credential to a bachelor’s or higher degree. These workers also need extensive knowledge of the sport. Coaches typically gain this knowledge through their own experiences playing the sport at some level. Although previous playing experience may be beneficial, it is typically not required for most scouting jobs.

The median annual wage for coaches and scouts was $45,920 in May 2024.

Employment of coaches and scouts is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.

About 41,800 openings for coaches and scouts are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.