Current research indicates the state coaching requirements range from requiring coaches to be certified teachers, to allowing individuals to coach who do not hold a teaching certificate. In some states there are different requirements for differing sports within a state. There is no national standardized certification program. Each state Department of Education or its State High School Athletic Association has determined its own standards for coaching certification. Regulations governing the hiring of interscholastic coaches are becoming less stringent.
Little agreement exists on the standards to certify coaches.
At one time, only full-time certified teachers could be coaches. Today many states hire coaches who are not teachers and are not employees of the school system to fulfill vacant coaching positions. Many states have created coaching certification programs to ensure a minimum degree of competency, but, because the completion of such a program required time, money, and effort, it discouraged many potential coaches and resulted in states dropping the certification requirement. The increase in the need for coaches of women's and girls' teams has created an additional problem. A national certification program will create better opportunities for women to gain entry-level positions and produce a better quality pool of applicants.