The best gift for a grassroots football coach is usually one of three things: something they will use on a cold touchline every weekend, a voucher so they can choose for themselves, or a card the players have properly written in. Most teams club together for one gift from the whole squad, and the card is often the part the coach keeps.
Grassroots coaches are usually volunteers. England Football puts the number of people giving up their time every week to grassroots football at 1.4 million, counting coaches, referees and club volunteers, and that includes the parent who runs your child's Under 9s on a Saturday morning and a weeknight session on top. If you are new to how that side of the game works, our guide to what grassroots football is explains how clubs and leagues are run.
What Makes a Good Gift for a Grassroots Coach
A grassroots coach spends a large part of the winter standing still on a touchline or a 3G pitch in the dark, carrying a bag of balls, bibs and cones to and from the car, and sorting out lineups and lifts on their phone.
The gifts that get used fit that job:
- Something for the cold. Gloves, a hat, a flask or a proper long coat get used every week from October to March.
- Something for the sessions. A tactics board, a decent whistle or a ball bag replaces kit many coaches bought out of their own pocket.
- Something they choose. A voucher avoids guessing, and lets a coach put it towards something bigger.
- Something personal from the players. A card, a team photo, or both.
Parents often assume the club supplies a coach with everything. Clubs commonly provide balls, bibs and a first aid kit, but the coat, the gloves and the flask are usually the coach's own.
Gifts Coaches Use Every Week
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A few other gifts that get used:
- A long touchline coat. The padded knee-length coats seen at academy and professional matches are the kind of thing a coach rarely buys for themselves. A long padded sports coat is a good use of a team collection. Ask a partner or co-coach for their size first.
- A ball bag. A mesh ball bag that holds ten or more balls makes the walk from the car park to the pitch one trip instead of two.
- Rechargeable hand warmers. A coach cannot jog on the spot through a whole match the way the children can.
- A clipboard or a matchday notebook. Some coaches still write their team sheets and rotations on paper. Plenty now plan lineups on a phone instead (our Coach App is one way), but a board or pad is still quicker to show at half-time.
Our guide to football gloves for winter training is written for children, but the advice on grip and warmth applies just as much to the adult standing next to them.
Clubbing Together: How Much Each Family Puts In
Most teams buy one gift from the whole squad. It is easier for the coach, it avoids anyone being compared, and a pooled amount buys something a single family would not.
The awkward part is the money. There is no standard amount, and a set figure can put pressure on families who are already paying subs, kit and tournament fees.
For one of the teams, we all put in some money and organised a voucher for the coach. It was arranged on a private WhatsApp and everyone contributed. It can be a little awkward, as you are not quite sure what to contribute and whether everyone can afford it, so it is probably good to either set a small expectation or just say people can contribute whatever they like in private, to avoid embarrassment.
In practice that means:
- Use a separate group. A WhatsApp group without the coach in it, set up by one parent. Posting a collection in the main team chat the coach is in spoils the surprise.
- Keep any suggested amount small. As a rough example, £5 a family across a squad of 12 is £60, enough for a decent voucher or two of the picks above.
- Make it private. A bank transfer or payment link to one parent means nobody else sees who gave what, and families can give what they can afford without explaining it.
- Agree the gift before collecting. Saying what the money is for up front makes the request easier to answer than an open pot.
Families do not all need to give the same amount for the gift to be from the team. It goes on the card as from the whole squad either way.
Vouchers and Experiences
A voucher is the safest choice when nobody knows what the coach would like. A sports shop voucher lets them pick boots, a coat or training kit in their own size, and a voucher for a local restaurant or coffee shop gives them something away from football altogether.
Experience gifts can work well for a coach who follows a professional club, such as a stadium tour or tickets to a match. Pick something with a flexible date, since youth fixtures move around and a tournament can take up a whole weekend day.
The Card and the Team Photo
A card where each child has written a line about the season, as well as their name, is the bit most worth the effort.
Cards signed by the players are nice, particularly if they take the time to write something rather than just signing their name. Our team had taken an end of season photo, but a couple of the boys had been away for the last game, so one of the parents photoshopped them on. It was a bit of a WhatsApp joke, and that was then printed on the card, which was a nice personal touch. I think it is nice to try and get something for the coach that you either know they would like, or a voucher so they can pick something.
Some easy ways to make it personal:
- Give the card to the children at training a week early so it can go round without the coach seeing it.
- Ask younger players for one thing they enjoyed this season, such as a game at training or a goal they scored. Parents can write it down for children who are not writing yet.
- Use a team photo from a match day or a tournament, printed inside the card or framed on its own.
Christmas vs End of Season Gifts
There are two natural moments for a coach gift, and many teams pick one of them.
- Christmas suits practical winter gifts: gloves, a hat, a flask, hand warmers. It usually lands at the last training session or match before Christmas.
- The end of the season (from April to June, depending on the league and the summer tournaments) suits a bigger thank you for the whole year, often given at the presentation day or the last game. It is also when a team photo and a card written by every player make most sense.
If you want to do both, a small Christmas gift and a bigger end of season one keeps the cost down for each collection. The end of season is also when a coach may be stepping down or moving with the team to a new age group, so it can double as a goodbye.
Head Coach, Assistant and Manager
Grassroots teams are often run by two or three adults: a head coach, an assistant, and sometimes a manager or parent who handles fixtures, kit and subs.
I think it is good to include them, but it depends on the team and how involved they are. With my team we co-manage, so that makes sense. But some coaches do all the coaching and organising and might do significantly more than the assistant, so it is about gauging it right so you don't undo a good intention and offend somebody.
A simple rule: if two adults turn up every week and share the work, buy two gifts of the same value. If one does far more, a main gift for them and a smaller gift for the helper is reasonable, as long as both are on the card. The assistant who comes to every session is often a parent volunteer too, and our guide to how to become a football coach shows how much the role takes on.
Gifts Under £10
For a family giving on their own, or a child who wants to give their coach something:
- A whistle from the picks above.
- A hat or a snood in the club colours.
- A pack of flat cones or bibs. Coaches lose cones every season, and a spare set is always useful.
- A box of biscuits or chocolates for the coaches to share at the next training.
- A drawing or a letter from the child. For younger players especially, it costs nothing and sits well alongside a team gift.
For a team on a tight budget, a card and a team photo cost very little and do most of the work.
Personalised Football Coach Gifts
Personalised gifts work best when they name the team and the season. A personalised football coach mug or a personalised coach water bottle can carry the team name and season, and a framed team photo with the season and age group on it works for any coach.
Order personalised gifts early. Most need a few days to print, and the weeks before Christmas and the end of the school year are when everyone else is ordering too.
A Free Thank You: Nominate Them for an Award
England Football's Grassroots Football Awards include Coach of the Year categories for the male, female and disability pathways. Anyone can nominate, each County FA's panel shortlists nominees for its area, and in 2024 and 2025 nominations ran from February to early April, so watch your County FA's news page from February.
A nomination costs nothing, tells a volunteer coach that parents noticed the hours they put in, and can sit alongside a gift at the end of the season.
What to Skip
- Alcohol, unless you know them. Plenty of coaches do not drink, and a bottle from a team of children can sit oddly with some clubs.
- Anything with the club badge they already have. Coaches are often given club training kit, so another badged item is easy to duplicate.
- A third mug. Long-serving coaches tend to have a cupboard of "World's Best Coach" mugs. If you go for a mug, make it personalised to this team.
- Big gifts from one family. A large present from a single parent can look like it is about their child's place in the team, which puts the coach in an uncomfortable spot. Pool it with the squad instead.
If you are unsure whether the club has a policy on gifts, the club welfare officer can tell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best gift for a football coach?
For most grassroots coaches it is something for the cold (gloves, a hat, a flask or a long coat), a voucher, or a card with a message from every player. One gift from the whole team is usually better received than several from individual families.
What are good end of season football gifts?
A framed team photo, a card written by the players, and a voucher or a bigger item bought with a team collection. End of season gifts are often handed over at the presentation day or the final match.
How much should each family donate for a coach gift?
There is no set amount. Many teams suggest a small figure, such as £5, or let families give privately whatever they can, which avoids anyone feeling left out. The gift goes on the card as from the whole team either way.
