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Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials

Sports coaches, instructors and officials work with amateur and professional sportsmen and women to enhance performance, encourage greater participation in sport, supervise recreational activities such as canoeing and mountaineering, and organise and officiate at sporting events according to established rules.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£12,681
£23,495
£44,067

New workers start around £12,681. Normal pay is £23,495 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £44,067.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 100,405 vacancies for this type of job

6.60%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Manages the playing areas and competitors, starts race, competition or match and controls its progress according to established rules.

  • Inspects and maintains specialised clothing and equipment.

  • Understands health and safety aspects of various activities and ensures any statutory requirements are met.

  • Provides information and develops facilities to encourage greater participation in sport, and to enhance the standards of participants.

  • Deals with administrative aspects such as arranging matches, contests or appearances for athlete or team, and organising required transport and accommodation.

  • Monitors and analyses technique and performance, and determines how future improvements can be made.

  • Controls team selection and discipline and recruits ancillary staff such as coaches or physiotherapists.

  • Coaches teams or individuals by demonstrating techniques and directing training and exercise sessions.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Sports Coaching

  • Working With Children

  • Swimming Instruction

  • Physical Education

  • Child Protection

  • Gymnastics

  • Lesson Planning

  • Child Safeguarding

  • National Curriculum

  • Risk Analysis

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Coaching

  • Teaching

  • Communication

  • Enthusiasm

  • Customer Service

  • Management

  • Planning

  • First Aid

  • Interpersonal Communications

  • Organizational Skills

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

Football Studies

Nottingham College

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Nottingham · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 64/64

Sports Coaching

Edge Hill University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Ormskirk · 09/2025

Tariff points: 104/112

Sport Coaching

Leeds Beckett University

BSc (Hons) · 6 Years · Part-time · Leeds · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 112/128

Sports, Coaching and Fitness

South Eastern Regional College

FD · 2 Years · Full-time · Bangor · 09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Sports Coaching

Edinburgh Napier University

BSc (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time · Edinburgh · 08/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Sport and Exercise Therapy

Southampton, Solent University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Southampton · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 104/120

Sports Management

University Academy 92 (UA92)

CertHE · 1 Year · Full-time · Manchester · 10/11/2025

Tariff points: 64/64

Sports Management

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

HND · 2 Years · Full-time · Swansea · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 32/32

Sports Therapy

Plymouth Marjon University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Plymouth · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

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