What a football coach earns
A football coach earns a median £780 a week, which is £40,560 a year. That is the middle of the 1,334 coaches we hold a wage for, at 535 clubs. One in ten earns more than £3,100 a week.
It is the joint 15th best paid of the 19 backroom jobs we hold a page for, and below the £840 median for football club staff as a whole.
The pay ladder for a football coach
All 1,334 coaches, from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest
| WHERE THE WAGE FALLS | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|
| One in ten earns less than | £250 | £13,000 |
| One in four earns less than | £410 | £21,320 |
| The median | £780 | £40,560 |
| One in four earns more than | £1,600 | £83,200 |
| One in ten earns more than | £3,100 | £161,200 |
What a coach earns in each league
The 38 leagues where we hold wages for five or more coaches at three or more clubs
| # | LEAGUE | COUNTRY | STAFF | CLUBS | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Liga | Spain | 43 | 17 | £3,100 | £161,200 |
| 2 | Premier League | England | 84 | 20 | £2,650 | £137,800 |
| 3 | Major League Soccer | USA | 30 | 21 | £2,500 | £130,000 |
| 4 | Ligue 1 | France | 6 | 6 | £2,150 | £111,800 |
| 5 | Süper Lig | Türkiye | 16 | 10 | £2,050 | £106,600 |
| 6 | La Liga 2 | Spain | 23 | 11 | £2,000 | £104,000 |
| 7 | Championship | England | 76 | 24 | £1,550 | £80,600 |
| 8 | Serie A | Italy | 63 | 20 | £1,300 | £67,600 |
| 9 | Eredivisie | Netherlands | 19 | 12 | £1,100 | £57,200 |
| 10 | Bundesliga | Germany | 49 | 17 | £1,060 | £55,120 |
| 11 | 2. Bundesliga | Germany | 32 | 14 | £1,060 | £55,120 |
| 12 | J1 League | Japan | 72 | 19 | £1,000 | £52,000 |
| 13 | Primeira Liga | Portugal | 47 | 17 | £960 | £49,920 |
| 14 | Belgian Pro League | Belgium | 47 | 15 | £900 | £46,800 |
| 15 | Serie B | Italy | 47 | 21 | £850 | £44,200 |
| 16 | League One | England | 71 | 24 | £830 | £43,160 |
| 17 | Canadian Premier League | Canada | 7 | 4 | £800 | £41,600 |
| 18 | League Two | England | 42 | 21 | £780 | £40,560 |
| 19 | Eliteserien | Norway | 63 | 16 | £630 | £32,760 |
| 20 | Scottish Premiership | Scotland | 15 | 9 | £600 | £31,200 |
| 21 | Scottish Championship | Scotland | 8 | 7 | £600 | £31,200 |
| 22 | National League | England | 22 | 13 | £580 | £30,160 |
| 23 | Brasileirão Série A | Brazil | 18 | 12 | £570 | £29,640 |
| 24 | Belgian Challenger Pro League | Belgium | 18 | 8 | £490 | £25,480 |
| 25 | Russian Premier League | Russia | 71 | 17 | £480 | £24,960 |
| 26 | Croatian First League | Croatia | 21 | 7 | £450 | £23,400 |
| 27 | Danish Superliga | Denmark | 16 | 7 | £390 | £20,280 |
| 28 | Czech First League | Czechia | 19 | 13 | £360 | £18,720 |
| 29 | Austrian Bundesliga | Austria | 5 | 4 | £300 | £15,600 |
| 30 | Super Liga | Argentina | 100 | 28 | £290 | £15,080 |
| 31 | Chinese Super League | China | 20 | 10 | £280 | £14,560 |
| 32 | Superleague Greece | Greece | 14 | 8 | £280 | £14,560 |
| 33 | Ekstraklasa | Poland | 27 | 14 | £270 | £14,040 |
| 34 | Veikkausliiga | Finland | 5 | 3 | £190 | £9,880 |
| 35 | Liga F | Spain | 8 | 7 | £150 | £7,800 |
| 36 | Thai League | Thailand | 23 | 11 | £130 | £6,760 |
| 37 | Indian Super League | India | 11 | 5 | £110 | £5,720 |
| 38 | I-League | India | 5 | 4 | £70 | £3,640 |
Where a coach is paid most
Median weekly wage by league, the top fifteen
La Liga pays a coach a median £3,100 a week, and the I-League £70, so the same job pays 44.3 times as much at one end of the table as the other. The Premier League is second at £2,650, drawn from 84 coaches at 20 clubs.
First team against the academy
A coach's median wage by the squad they work with
| SQUAD | STAFF | CLUBS | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First team | 587 | 383 | £1,100 | £57,200 |
| Under-23s | 13 | 9 | £640 | £33,280 |
| Under-21s | 59 | 39 | £1,000 | £52,000 |
| Under-20s | 114 | 37 | £290 | £15,080 |
| Under-19s | 223 | 118 | £600 | £31,200 |
| Under-18s | 331 | 158 | £690 | £35,880 |
| Reserves | 7 | 7 | £460 | £23,920 |
A first-team coach earns a median £1,100 a week across 587 of them. One working with the under-18s earns £690, so the first team pays £410 a week more for the same job.
A Premier League coach's wage, season by season
The first-team coaches at the clubs in the Premier League today, 2016/17 to 2025/26
The median was £5,100 a week in 2016/17 and £7,600 in 2025/26, up 49% across 10 seasons.
Against every other backroom job
Median weekly wage by role, coach highlighted
Coach ranks 15th of the 21 roles on the chart. It pays £60 a week less than the median member of a club backroom.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a football coach earn?
A median £780 a week, which is £40,560 a year. That is the middle of the 1,334 coaches we hold a wage for, at 535 clubs.
How much does a Premier League coach earn?
A median £2,650 a week, which is £137,800 a year, across the 84 coaches we hold a wage for at 20 Premier League clubs.
What do the best-paid coaches earn?
One in ten earns more than £3,100 a week, which is £161,200 a year. One in four earns more than £1,600 a week.
Which league pays a coach the most?
La Liga, at a median £3,100 a week across 43 coaches. The lowest of the 38 leagues we can pool is the I-League, at £70.
Does a first-team coach earn more than an academy one?
Yes. A first-team coach earns a median £1,100 a week, and one working with the under-18s earns £690.
Is a coach paid more than other football club staff?
No. A coach earns a median £780 a week against £840 for backroom staff as a whole, which makes it the joint 15th best paid of the 19 roles we hold a page for.
Where to next
Every backroom job we hold a page for, by department
Coaching
Medical and sports science
Scouting and analysis
Management and administration
Football club staff salaries puts every role, department and league on one page. The managers are on pages of their own.