Gone are the days when coaches stood on the sidelines in suits and ties like Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi. Now they look just like you and me. Think Bill Belichick in his hoodie. But they still need the tools of the trade, just like the old days. This list of gifts for coaches has everything they’ll need to keep the team motivated and on track.
The first thing a coach needs is a whistle, of course. If they don’t have a whistle, they’re going to yell themselves hoarse after one practice. Which the athletes might like, but in the end, it won’t do them any good. Get a coach this good whistle so they can make practice run like clockwork.
$5.99
Coach needs a way to keep everything all in one. Shorts with enough pockets to keep whistles, clipboards, and notes simply don’t exist. This organizer fits around a ball bucket or a drink cooler, and has pockets for all his coaching needs.
$49.39
The next best thing to a real whistle is an electronic whistle. This gift for coach will save his lungs for teaching, and can coach without a whistle between the lips. Simply press the button, and the whistle sounds. It’s the perfect solution for the 21st century coach.
Prices Vary
We’ve all seen them on the sidelines of NFL games. Now we know they’re not secret gear—anyone can buy them. With a wrist playbook, a coach doesn’t have to lug around a big heavy playbook. All the information they’ll ever need is conveniently placed—it’s as easy as looking at a wristwatch.
$6.37
Coaches have to keep track of rosters, practice plans, game dates—they’re the chief administrators of the sports world. This binder is specially designed so coach can have all the information organized and easy to access, which means more time for the real matter at hand: coaching the sport.
$19.99
Coach doesn’t want a leather briefcase—not sporty. Plus, you can’t get a leather briefcase all muddy. Nor does coach want something like a messenger bag, because he’s not a hipster. This coach’s briefcase is the ideal balance between business and athletics.
$44.94
There was a time when coaches all wore the same polyester shorts. You remember them: double snaps in front, almost down to the knees, and no one but a coach would be caught dead in them. They’re a little bit different these days. These shorts by Under Armor are comfy and actually pretty cool looking.
$34.99
One thing doesn’t change: ye olde ball bag. Coach pulls up to practice, and chooses a player to get the balls out of the trunk. It’s comforting to know that all over the country—all over the world, really—there are mesh bags full of soccer balls, footballs, and basketballs waiting patiently for action.
$8.99
Jammed fingers, sprained wrists, twisted ankles—they happen every day at every sports practice you care to name. Since not every coach has an athletic trainer at hand, it’s best they bring the athletic tape themselves. This kit can be special-order in team colors.
$69.07
Give a gift to coach that will make him stand out on the field. All the players need to know where to look when the time is right. This vest is an instant eye-catcher. No one will have any doubt about where their attention should be: the person in the bright vest, yelling instructions.
$49.99
The latest science proves that a good m ix of calisthenics is what keeps a body strong and in shape. Coaches have to change it up. When strength and conditioning time rolls around, these dice will come in handy. Coach can roll the dice and call out an exercise: no planning needed; job simplified.
$65.97
All the fancy ball handling you see in the NBA these days can be followed back to one person: Pistol Pete Maravich. His ball skills are legendary, and he invented countless drills that are still used every day in every basketball practice around the world, from youth leagues to the pros.
$93.89
Every coach needs a clipboard to draw up plays and show players where they need to be and when. They also need something to throw to the ground when they get frustrated, and to give their hands something to do to cover their nerves. This one is for baseball, but they’re available for every sport.
$20.50
Let ‘em work, let ‘em live! When you’re coaching youth baseball, you never know where that hard ball is going to fly. To put it simply, if you’re out on the diamond, you’re in harm’s way. This hard hat looks just like a regular cap but will keep coach safe in case of an unexpected error.
$39.04
Let ‘em work, let ‘em live! When you’re coaching youth baseball, you never know where that hard ball is going to fly. To put it simply, if you’re out on the diamond, you’re in harm’s way. This hard hat looks just like a regular cap but will keep coach safe in case of an unexpected error.
Prices Vary
Coaches love to play video games, too. This game by X-Box lets coaches at the youth and high school level live the dream—albeit at home on a game console. Give this gift to a football coach who loves to kick back and have fun on the weekends, while still keeping focused on the game.
Prices Vary
Kinesiology tape is more than regular athletic tape. It’s known the help injuries heal quickly, prevent and relieve the pain from tendonitis and other nagging injuries and conditions common to all sports. Each box comes with an easy to follow guide for the most effective application.
$14.95
This excellent coaching notebook comes with a zip-closure and includes a notepad and a magnetic soccer board with two colors of magnets to separate offense from defense. This makes the ideal gift for a soccer coach who wants to map out the x’s and o’s during timeouts and halftime.
$24.95
When it comes to away games or even regular weekday practices, coaches have a lot of stuff to carry. This wheeled duffel bag from the experts at Uber has more than enough room for cones, extra jerseys, balls, and clipboards. Make life easy on coach with this gift.
$89.95
Let’s be honest: not everyone who signs up to coach youth sports is the world’s leading expert on whatever game they agreed to take on. These drill cards are a great gift for the parent who agreed to coach their kid’s basketball team, but might need a little help on what to do at practice.
$19.95
As essential as a coach’s whistle, the stopwatch is another piece of gear no coach should be without. This gift for coach will let the big kahuna time scrimmages, drills, timeouts, and everything else that happens in practice. And it will make them look totally official on the sidelines.
$25.95
When coach has to tape up that wrist, ankle, or finger, it simply wouldn’t be professional or appropriate to tear the tape with their teeth. Besides, who wants to get that close to a stinky soccer foot? This tape cutter does the job with precision every time.
$12.20
Coach will appreciate these cones, because they’ll add a little fun to a youngster’s practice. They light up! The little ones will love the flashing lights, and they can be used as special markers to make everyone’s favorite drill—wind sprints—seem that much less onerous.
$29.06
Sometimes players can get spread out across a wide area during practice. One group does drills on one side of the field, another does shooting practice on the other side of the field, and yet another group might be running bleacher stairs. With this electronic megaphone, coach can get them all back to the huddle without screaming.
$12.70
Disc cones are essential for sports like soccer, where dribbling drills can be ruined by regular triangular cones. These disc cones also take up much less space, so coach can keep scores of them in the trunk and still have room for everything else.
$19.99
Coaches can’t have players getting dehydrated during practices at any time of year. Not in August football, fall cross country, or spring soccer. Keep the bottles full of electrolyte drinks and close at hand with this six pack caddy, which squeezes tight to accommodate any size bottle.
$28.00
Give this gift to a coach who wants to learn the ins and outs, the x’s and o’s, and the finer point of the most influential basketball system in the history of the sport: John Wooden’s High Post Offense. Watch any college or NBA game today and you’ll still see elements of this system in action.
Prices Vary
This pendant makes a lovely heartfelt gift for that coach who’s gone the extra mile for the team. It’s a simple, silver plated ring that can be personalized to meet the specific message you want to give your beloved coach. Choose from a nickel chain, a silver chain, a pink cord, or a black cord.
$13.00
When the end of the season rolls around, the coach is usually the one who gives out the awards. But coaches need love, too! This plaque is a great way to say thank you for a wonderful season and has a wonderful inspirational quote inside a nice wooden frame.
Prices Vary
Not every soccer practice field comes with goals for the kids, as many youth coaches can attest. These goals fold up easily and fit in the back seat or trunk of any size car. They’re perfect for youth teams just starting out, older kids playing small-side games, or to build passing accuracy-without chasing the ball every time.
Prices Vary
A cooler filled with Gatorade or ice water can be a back breaker. Since mom and dad don’t want to visit the chiropractor after a Saturday game, coaches have their hands full, and you don’t want to injure players before a game, this rolling cooler is the answer.
$29.97
Granted—the Brazilians may have lost the last World Cup on their home soil, which was a little bit of an embarrassment, but everyone knows the most gifted and beautiful players in history come from this South American nation. This DVD shows their creative positional tactics with one of their great stars, Zico.
$29.95
Vince Lombardi is the most quotable coach in the history of sports. From the simple ones like “Winners never quit and quitters never win” to the deep ones like “The measure of what we are is what we do with what we have,” this book is chock full of the wisdom of this coaching icon.
Prices Vary
7 DIY Gifts for Coaches
Even though we know all the best coaches spend the game pacing up and down the sidelines, this DIY chair makes a very nice gesture. This simple tutorial shows you how to take a regular spectators chair and jazz it up with a team logo or name that will make coach feel like a real boss.
The team is lagging. It’s a hot day. All the players are tired, and coach doesn’t want to jack them up with too much sports drink. The answer? Homemade energy gels. This DIY shows you how to make energy packets out of natural ingredients. Make up a batch for coach for the next game, and watch what happens.
Here’s a great homemade gift for a track or cross-country coach. All you need is an old clipboard and a number, and you can create a coach’s clipboard they’ll remember. If you have a number from a state championship or some other special, memorable occasion, then all the better.
If coach is lamenting the lack soccer goals for the team to practice with, you can fix it. Take the matter into your own hands and follow this tutorial. It shows you how to make soccer goals at very little expense. The example is for juniors, but you can alter the materials easily to make the goals full size.
You don’t want to have coach lose his voice while calling the kids from across the field. This megaphone can save the day, and preserve those vocal cords for the big game. Use this DIY—originally intended for fans to use at parties—to make coach a personalized item that will make practices much easier.
Get all the kids together and give coach a gift that will touch his heart. This DIY is the simplest one you will ever find. All you need is a picture, writable matte material, and time to get all the kids to sign the matte. A simple wood frame finishes the gift, and you’re done!
Not every baseball practice facility is outfitted with a batting cage. Everyone knows they help improve batting by leaps and bounds—not to mention they eliminate the need to chase all those balls. We found this one in the oddest place: a real estate blog. Unusual as that may be, these is the best truly DIY batting cage you’ll find on the interwebs.
(You may also like: 39 Perfect Gifts for Good Teachers)
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