Great Coaches, Difficult Dilemma: Can Lacrosse Coaching Be a Passion without Sacrificing income?
You got into this to coach — not to chase invoices.
Not to manage team stores, chase down payments, or plan hotel blocks for club tournaments.
You got into it for the kids.
For the thrill of drawing up the perfect play.
For the late afternoons when the sky turns gold and the sound of stick checks echoes through the field.
For the smell of the grass before the players arrive — that quiet moment when everything feels right.
But here's the hard truth no one wants to say out loud:
Great coaching doesn’t always pay.
So coaches — good ones — start to drift.
They sell gear. They run camps. They manage club teams.
They work with kids who don’t really need them — while the kids who do are left hoping someone shows up.
And all the while, the actual coaching — the relationships, the mentorship, the joy — gets buried under logistics, stress, and the grind of trying to make ends meet.
It’s a cruel trade-off: passion vs. paycheck.
But does it have to be that way?
Can you still be the coach you set out to be — and earn enough to live with freedom?
Let’s talk about what that could actually look like.
Can you make a living without losing the part of coaching that makes it worth doing?
Yes. But it might mean making your money elsewhere — so you can coach freely, without compromise.
5 Real Ways Coaches Can Make a Living (While Staying True to the Game)
1. Create an Online Course (On Something You Know — Doesn’t Have to Be Sports)
You’ve probably explained things your whole life — to players, to parents, to friends.
Now imagine getting paid for it, over and over again.
It doesn’t have to be about lacrosse.
It can be about:
Managing teenagers with confidence
Navigating college admissions
Building grit in young athletes
Public speaking for shy kids
Organizing youth teams or school events
Meal prepping for busy families
Time management for ADHD learners
If you’ve figured something out — someone else will pay to shortcut that process.
Platforms like Teachable, Podia, or Kajabi make it easy.
You build it once. You sell it forever. You keep coaching.
2. Get a Flexible, High-Upside Job (That Doesn’t Eat Your Coaching Time)
You don’t need to turn your passion into your paycheck.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is separate them.
Pick a job that gives you time, autonomy, and enough money to make coaching a choice — not a financial burden.
Great examples:
Real estate agent (your name already carries weight locally)
Freelance writer, editor, or designer (low overhead, high skill value)
Home inspector or appraiser (local, training-based, flexible)
Adjunct teaching, tutoring, or test prep (impact-driven and schedule-friendly)
Part-time firefighter or EMT (in some towns, these come with great benefits and downtime)
These jobs work with coaching — not against it.
3. Offer Remote Mentorship for Players and Parents
You don’t need a field to coach.
You just need to care — and have a plan.
What you can offer:
Position-specific skill training via video breakdowns
Weekly Zoom calls with players for goal-setting and accountability
Guidance for parents navigating the recruiting system
Mental coaching and resilience-building for players who are struggling
Even a handful of monthly mentorships can create income and impact — without pulling you out of your coaching rhythm.
4. Start a Seasonal Side Hustle That Funds Your Coaching Year
Sometimes the best way to keep your coaching clean is to make your money in the off-season.
There are businesses that explode during certain times of the year — and leave you free the rest of the time.
Ideas:
Lawn care or power washing (spring/summer)
Holiday light installation (fall/winter — yes, it’s a real, lucrative thing)
SAT/ACT tutoring season (Jan–May and summer intensives)
Tour guiding or event staffing (peak season in your area)
You pick your months. You make your money. You coach when it matters most.
5. Be the Go-To Consultant for Local Programs
You’ve been through the wars. You’ve built teams. Managed parents.
You know what works.
Other programs — rec leagues, youth orgs, schools — are desperate for that knowledge.
Offer your services to:
Help them build a season plan
Train new or first-time coaches
Run a pre-season coaching clinic
Set up a curriculum for their age groups
Manage team culture, communication, or game-day prep
You don’t need a full-time job. You just need a few well-placed schools or programs who need your brain.
You stay local. You stay in the game. And you stay out of the gear-selling hamster wheel.
Bottom Line
You got into this to coach.
To lead.
To stand in the middle of a field, whistle around your neck, sun on your back, and know you were building something that mattered.
You don’t have to sell out.
You don’t have to sell sticks.
You just need to separate the money from the mission.
Let your work fund your coaching — not the other way around.
That way, when you walk onto the field…
you’re doing it because you want to — not because you need to make payroll.
