Head coaches instruct or coach groups or individual high school students in the fundamentals of sports, demonstrate techniques and methods of participation, and may evaluate athletes’ strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits or to improve the athletes’ technique to prepare them for competition.
Forty-eight states require a license for head coaches of high school sports. On average, licensing laws for head coaches require $79 in fees and over a year (367 days) of education and experience—the 46th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Because head coaches are licensed by almost every state, the occupation ranks as the 14th most widely and onerously licensed.
The most burdensome states are those that require all head coaches to be licensed teachers: Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia. (See Appendix B under “Public School Teacher” for details on teacher licensing.) Of the remaining states, New York is the most burdensome, requiring $290 in fees and about 1,125 days of education and experience (three years as a temporary coach and 130 hours of coursework). In contrast, 30 states require only about seven hours or less of education. Also, 28 states impose no fees.
Burden Rank | State | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ohio | 48 * | $570 | 2921 | 4 years and 4.5 clock hours | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2 | Missouri | 48 * | $191 | 2920 | 4 years and 0.5 clock hours | 4 years | 3 | 0 | 0 |
3 | Georgia | 48 * | $281 | 2555 | 4 years | 3 years | 3 | 0 | 0 |
4 | New Jersey | 48 * | $535 | 2191 | 4 years and 4 clock hours | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 |
5 | Virginia | 48 * | $450 | 1461 | 4 years and 4 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
6 | Arkansas | 48 * | $395 | 1462 | 4 years and 9 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
7 | Oklahoma | 48 * | $334 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
8 | New York | 48 * | $290 | 1125 | 130 clock hours | 3 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 | Maryland | 48 * | $0 | 734 | 21.5 clock hours | 2 years | 0 | 12 | 23 |
10 | Kentucky | 48 * | $20 | 450 | 64 credit hours and 10 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
11 | Washington | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
12 | Connecticut | 48 * | $0 | 11 | 48 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
13 | Wyoming | 48 * | $50 | 35 | 5 credit hours and 2.5 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
14 | Arizona | 48 * | $129 | 163 | 15 credit hours | 250 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 |
15 | New Mexico | 48 * | $54 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
16 | West Virginia | 48 * | $0 | 2 | 14 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
17 | Maine | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 5 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
18 | Iowa | 48 * | $85 | 15 | 65 contact hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
19 | Illinois | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 19 | |
20 | Michigan | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 7 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
21 | Florida | 48 * | $75 | 63 | 9 credit hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
22 | Colorado | 48 * | $75 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
23 | Nebraska | 48 * | $55 | 22 | 3 credit hours and 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
24 | Rhode Island | 48 * | $100 * | 1 * | 4.5 clock hours * | 0 * | 0 * | 0 * | |
25 | Minnesota | 48 * | $0 | 14 | 60 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
26 | Alabama | 48 * | $40 | 1 | 5.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
27 | Utah | 48 * | $40 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
28 | New Hampshire | 48 * | $25 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
29 | Louisiana | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 7 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
30 | Massachusetts | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 6.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
31 | Oregon | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
31 | Texas | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
33 | Montana | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.9 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Alaska | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | California | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Idaho | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Mississippi | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Nevada | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | North Carolina | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | North Dakota | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | South Dakota | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Tennessee | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
34 | Vermont | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
44 | Kansas | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
44 | Wisconsin | 48 * | $0 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
46 | D C | 48 * | $0 | 0 | 1 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
46 | Indiana | 48 * | $0 | 0 | 1 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
48 | Delaware | 48 * | $0 | 0 | 0.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 |