What is a Coach of the Year award?
Coach of the Year is the annual honour naming the outstanding head coach in a competition — a league, a conference, a country, a division or a whole sport. Like the athlete awards it is decided by ballot rather than by results, and in most cases the electorate is other coaches, which makes it explicitly a judgement by peers.[1] [2]
Who confers coaching awards?
Four levels, in ascending order of field. Conferences name a Coach of the Year in each sport. Coaches associations name regional and national winners — the USTFCCCA in track and field and cross country, the CSCAA in swimming and diving, the NABC in basketball, the AFCA in football, the ABCA in baseball, United Soccer Coaches in soccer. Professional leagues run their own, voted by media. And international federations name a world Coach of the Year at their annual awards.[2] [3]
Why does it matter?
Because it is the standard recognition of leadership in a sport, awarded on the same annual cycle and by the same bodies as the athlete honours. Where an athlete award measures performance, a coaching award measures responsibility for a programme — and the associations that confer them publish the regional, national and lifetime tiers separately.[2] [4]
References
- NBA — Coach of the Year. Accessed August 2026.
- USTFCCCA — Coaching awards. Accessed August 2026.
- United Soccer Coaches — Awards. Accessed August 2026.
- CSCAA — Coach of the Year. Accessed August 2026.