Is it the norm to give HS coach a monetary gift at the end of a season?

[Anonymous]

We did. It was a 2 season sport and we were expected to contribute both seasons which was frustrating.

I think it’s normal, but should be capped at a certain amount.

[Anonymous]

DCs team dues are around $60 and cover a variety of things including a season end gift for the coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Freshman parent here. Was surprised to see the request for money for a coach's gift. Thought we were done with this?

I’ll cut your son off the roster next season if you don’t give me a nice fat check

[Anonymous]

No never - You can give a little mug or something but no cash

[Anonymous]

We did this last year for public school hs swim. They don’t get paid much, so parents are happy to chip in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS doesn't allow gifts of more than $20 or $25, so no, not the norm

Per giver

[Anonymous]

I think may depend on public vs private

[Anonymous]

Normal for the 3 sports in which my son participated at his public high school. Each time organized by parents and given as gift cards plus a small memento like framed team photo at end of season banquet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question here: why? Unlike most rec/travel/whatever coaches, they are (usually) not volunteers. They get paid to coach these teams, on top of their school salaries.

They get paid very little. Look at what they get paid versus how much time they put in for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband coaches a high school sport, and has received a variety of lovely gifts—bottle of wine, restaurant gift card, things specific to his alma mater or personality—at the end of year parties. His favorite thing to receive is personal notes from the kids, but the other items are very nice and appreciated as well.

This. HS coaches are paid a microscopic stipend and it is a ton of work/hours often at inconvenient times. I do it because I love the sport and I want to give another generation of kids a chance to have the amazing experience I did as a HS athlete. I’m able to make it work because I have a flexible part time job and supportive partner (who does the heavy lifting for our family in season).

My favorite gift I’ve received is an engraved travel mug that the team signed. The signatures are barely visible now after many years of daily use, but every time I use it, I think about how amazing that team and season was. Another favorite is a framed photo with a signed photo mat.

[Anonymous]

I can speak from experience-not a lot of pay. Do it for love of coaching and have the best team to coach. But def clock is a ton of time- not just the time seen on the field with my players- but time watching film and planning practices and talking to players who are upset/playing time, etc. HS sports is a lot more than playing the sport.

[Anonymous]

I genuinely appreciated the group gifts at the end of the season. Done years it was a gift card, other years cash, others it was a more personalized something. Love notes from players, signed photos etc.

Unless you’ve done it yourself you have no idea the amount of time and energy it takes to coach a HS team. On top of that, the times that you are physically with the team take away from family time so my spouse takes on the full lift of dinners and getting kids to their ECs during the season. Ultimately the strain on the family is what caused me to step away from coaching at the HS level.