Stipends for HS Head XC Coaches

I've been coaching 33 years, the last 28 at the same school. Three state XC team titles, four state T&F team titles, 3 individual state XC champions, numerous state medalists. National COY honors, 7x State COY, numerous district COY; and for all this I receive 3k a season.

I accepted long ago that it's not about the Benjamins, or the Jacksons for that matter. I love what I do and hope to do it until I am physically unable to do it anymore.

I'm in San Diego County with my son at a public school. My son's coach told me he gets $2,400 for being head XC coach. I am sure that works out to way less than minimum wage for him.

I'm in north jersey and make 5400

I make about $4500 for head xc, $2800 for track assistant, and $0 for indoor track.

Six team titles, four runners-up, an individual state champion, an NXN team in ten years. None of that had any impact on my coaching supplement. I can't say I care a whole lot about that, either.

I coached both boys and girls and was paid a little north of $6k.

I would think that in general, coaching a HS XC team is a much less demanding assignment than coaching a HS football team. I think you would need to speak to an HR rep with your district to explain the discrepancy (hours, nature of work, etc.)

4,000 for XC / 5,000 for track. San Francisco Bay Area.

Common for most privates and public schools coaching both boys and girls teams.

Football coach gets more, plus if you coach at a private school it also usually means a cush admin job.

I make 7% of my salary as head coach of XC. I make 5% of my salary as an assistant track coach (distance).

I make less than minimum wage coaching (when everything is figured out hourly).

To add insult to injury, our HR Department cut our coaching stipend from our retirement! So, yes, I took a 12% cut in my retirement. Sigh.

Like the other posters, I could take about state champions, all-state athletes, school record holders, coach of the year awards, etc.

I love coaching. But, after nearly a decade, I think I see the end.

Where I am from there is no way our football coaches put in as much time or detail into their work. They have 3 assistants at every level (Freshmen, JV, Varsity) so combined with head coaches for each there are 12 HS football coaches for around 60 total athletes. I've coached girls teams with no assistants of over 45 girls. In the summer we meet about 9 hours a week and I am there 90% of the time, the football players lift and do a few things probably totaling around 9 hours also but the Head Coach is rarely there, it's either different assistants or usually volunteers from our youth program. In season we probably spend about a similar amount of time, 2-3 hours a day on practice days more on meet/game days.

I make around $2,500 for XC and $2,800 for track. The Freshman assistant coaches make $3,000. I wouldn't trade it for the world though.

In Pinellas County Florida the HC stipends for both genders were ~$1700

Both sides wrote:

I would think that in general, coaching a HS XC team is a much less demanding assignment than coaching a HS football team. I think you would need to speak to an HR rep with your district to explain the discrepancy (hours, nature of work, etc.)

This. As a guy who played football and ran track in high school, then worked as a volunteer coach for XC and track in college, I can say that football coaching requires way more time than XC coaching.

Summer two-a-days for football were 8am-3pm at my school. Practices ran until 6:15 most days. We got together every Sunday to go over the film from the previous Friday's game. Outside of practice, the coaches reviewed film for future opponents and worked up game strategies. Before the season started, coaches had to create or revise the entire offensive playbook and defensive schemes.

XC is pretty light by comparison.

Asst here. The head coach puts in 30 plus hours a week, depending on travel, for 2.5 months. Pay is in the 5-6K range. You don't do it for the money. I've been asst for 5 years and it's a big deal if I get my way paid to state.

No high school coach gets paid enough.

Since our school only pays on average about 1/4 of the total sports operating budget, it isn't going to change any time soon. Fund raising pays for buses, uniforms, field upgrades and just about anything else. It is not clear if the boosters help pay coaches salaries, maybe I will ask.

In Chicago I coach a girls team of over 100 runners, have had a State Champion and several All-State runners. I make just above $1,500 per season.

Been an xc assistant coach for 17 years. My stipend is about $2,200. We have a total of 5 coaches. I believe the head coach is close to $4k. About 80 athletes. One issue that impacts xc pay is that many teams are small and, partially related to that, many administrators are willing to accept mediocrity and hire a new young coach every couple of years or leave someone in that doesn't want to put the time in.

It's infuriating, shameful and soul-crushing that those of us who hold the most responsibility for improving the physical, mental and emotional health outcomes of tomorrow's adults (namely coaches and teachers), are paid just above the level of a burger flipper. Actually less in many states.

Our bizarre and physically suicidal culture seems absolutely hellbent on keeping money and resources out of the places that need it most. We are already paying dearly for this and it will wreak havoc on our well-being in the decades to come if the trend continues.

USATF and USTFCCCA need to be exponentially more vocal about the basically endemic poverty that defines most of us except for the choades at the elite level.

It's your colleagues' fault. 95% of them totally suck and probably do coach for the money (as little as it is). You all pay the price in sharing in the mediocrity (and that is putting it nicely).

School Administrations don't seem to care if it you (and good) or if it is some dilweed. I wish my kids had competent coaches, like you all.

The coaches at our high school are undoubtedly paid way less than they deserve, in my opinion. They've taken teams to NXN twice in the last 4 years, organize really great summer camps, and just generally do a fantastic job. They have far more commitment, enthusiasm and positivity than the dollars would pay for.

I was an assistant coach for 10 years (D1 seven years, middle school 3 years) and never earned a penny, but I loved it.

I think the reality is that people who like to coach are going to coach, regardless of the pay, but it would be nice if society recognized how valuable a really committed coach is in a kid's life.

I get $700 for middle school XC. I've got 8 years experience. There are zero expectations where I'm at now so it's frustrating. The girls coach gets the same as me but only practices an hour a day, isn't even at practice for about half of that and does zero Saturday invites.