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Athletic coach vs assistant coach

The differences between athletic coaches and assistant coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an athletic coach and an assistant coach. Additionally, an athletic coach has an average salary of $45,554, which is higher than the $43,838 average annual salary of an assistant coach.

The top three skills for an athletic coach include CPR, student athletes and volleyball. The most important skills for an assistant coach are CPR, NCAA, and player development.

Athletic coach vs assistant coach overview

Athletic CoachAssistant Coach
Yearly salary$45,554$43,838
Hourly rate$21.90$21.08
Growth rate20%20%
Number of jobs16,93514,724
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3636
Years of experience66

What does an athletic coach do?

Athletic coaches organize professional and amateur athletes and teach them the basics of sports. The coaches train athletes to compete individually or as a team. They work before and after a match or game in the sphere of administrative duties. They provide assistance to the athletes to develop their full potential. They work as game coaches, leaders, performance managers, trainers, and leaders of the athletes. Also, they honor their clients as experts in their work and lives.

What does an assistant coach do?

An assistant coach's role is to provide administrative and organizational support to a coach and team of athletes. Most of the tasks will depend upon the coach's directions. However, their responsibilities primarily revolve around arranging schedules of team events and practices, responding to calls and inquiries, producing and organizing documentation, and taking part in the recruitment and budgeting process of the team. It is also an assistant coach's responsibility to keep records of all players and personnel involved, including data and progress reports.

Athletic coach vs assistant coach salary

Athletic coaches and assistant coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.

Athletic CoachAssistant Coach
Average salary$45,554$43,838
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $71,000Between $30,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MABoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew YorkMassachusetts
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsThe Branson School
Best paying industryGovernmentEducation

Differences between athletic coach and assistant coach education

There are a few differences between an athletic coach and an assistant coach in terms of educational background:

Athletic CoachAssistant Coach
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorKinesiologyKinesiology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Athletic coach vs assistant coach demographics

Here are the differences between athletic coaches' and assistant coaches' demographics:

Athletic CoachAssistant Coach
Average age3636
Gender ratioMale, 69.6% Female, 30.4%Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between athletic coach and assistant coach duties and responsibilities

Athletic coach example responsibilities.

  • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
  • Create a positive, team-base environment focuse on teaching soccer, flag football, baseball, and life skills.
  • Coach middle school women's volleyball, softball and basketball.
  • Coach girls sports year-round: including volleyball, basketball, track and field.
  • Implement monthly recruitment logs for contact with prospects to meet the NCAA rules.
  • Coach several players to post season accolades including a player who make an NFL training camp.
  • Show more

Assistant coach example responsibilities.

  • Plan practices, lead JV games and practices, assist with varsity practices and workouts
  • Lead the boys and girls teams to strong sectional outcomes, which lead their qualification for the state championship meet.
  • Instruct competitive youth soccer players in basic skill development
  • Train to use see CPR certify
  • Mentor to kids on the team
  • Certify in safety management and CPR.
  • Show more

Athletic coach vs assistant coach skills

Common athletic coach skills
  • CPR, 30%
  • Student Athletes, 23%
  • Volleyball, 7%
  • Soccer, 7%
  • Public Schools, 6%
  • Freshman, 4%
Common assistant coach skills
  • CPR, 15%
  • NCAA, 13%
  • Player Development, 7%
  • Assist Head, 6%
  • Soccer, 6%
  • Volleyball, 5%

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