Hockey club coaching roles explained
Job titles in hockey are not standardised. The same title can mean different things at a small volunteer club and a national league club, so read the duties, not just the name.
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The roles below are the ones that appeared most often on hockey job boards over the past decade. The descriptions are general; every club writes its own role profile.
| Role | Typical focus | Usually reports to |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach (1st team or 1st XI) | Selection, training plan and match-day decisions for the top team; often sets the playing style other club teams follow. | Club chair, committee or coaching director |
| Assistant coach | Runs parts of training, analyses opponents, leads a unit (for example defence or goalkeepers), steps in when the head coach is away. | Head coach |
| Club coach / team coach | Coaches a lower adult team, a junior age group or a set of sessions each week. | Coaching director or junior section lead |
| Coaching director (director of coaching) | Owns the coaching programme across the whole club: curriculum, coach recruitment and development, quality of sessions. | Committee or board |
| High performance coach | Works with talented or elite players, often in academies, regional programmes or national squads. | Performance director or national association |
| National head coach / assistant | Prepares a national team for international competition; usually employed by a national association. | National association |
| Development officer (regional or club) | Grows participation: school links, new teams, coach and volunteer recruitment, programmes for beginners. | Regional or national association, or club committee |
| School coach | Coaches pupils within a school's sport programme, often alongside teaching or boarding duties. | Director of sport at the school |
| Player-coach | Plays for a team while coaching it or another team at the club. Common when clubs recruit players from abroad. | Head coach or committee |
How the roles fit together
At a small club, one volunteer may do several of these jobs. At a larger club, the coaching director sets the standard, the head coach leads the top team, assistant and team coaches deliver the rest, and a development officer feeds new players in. When you read an advert, ask three questions:
- Which teams or age groups will I coach, and how many hours a week?
- Who decides selection, and who do I report to?
- Is the role paid, expenses-only, or a mix with playing?
Non-coaching roles at clubs
Clubs also recruit for administration, events, grounds and welfare roles. See working in sports administration and events.