Personal coaching, once reserved for elite athletes, has become a booming industry catering to kids as young as 6 or 7 years old. Families are investing serious time and money to help kids get that extra edge — but whether it’s worth it remains up for debate.
How quickly has the private coaching industry grown?
A study by the Aspen Institute estimated that U.S. families spend between $30 billion and $40 billion annually on their children’s sports activities. Thirty percent of that cost is tied to more frequent training and better coaching, and the private youth coaching market is riding that wave.
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The growing demand for higher-level instruction has not only fueled the private coaching industry, it has also led to innovation in the space. Private coaching platforms are helping families navigate different sports, family schedules and costs by offering on-demand services. Think of it as an “Airbnb” for sports instruction.
“We started out with just basketball and soccer,” Gene Williams, founder of Athletes Untapped, told Straight Arrow News. “Then, as the years went on, we realized that a lot of youth athletes now play what we would call the non-primary sports. So golf, tennis and pickleball used to be mainly for adults, but there’s a lot of youth training with that. So, now we have 16 sports on the platform.”
Williams is a former college basketball player at Johns Hopkins University. Along his wife Elaine, who played college soccer at Temple University, they created the business in 2021 after their own experiences as youth coaches.
“We’re so upfront in saying this; ‘Not every kid’s gonna make their high school team, or college team, or play pro.’ That’s really not what it’s about,” Williams said. “I think every kid should shoot to strive for that. But you want to help build good people, build good humans, and you can do that through working with a really good coach. I’ve seen it.”
What does it cost to hire a private coach?
The cost of specialized or private coaching in youth sports is second only to travel, with parents spending over $180 annually per sport on lessons for one student athlete, according to the Aspen Institute survey. Williams said costs have increased in recent years, but not as much as some might think, considering the demand.
“It’s really regional, too. On the West Coast — I think probably L.A., San Diego — the average price point for a lesson is like $80, $90.” Williams said. “East Coast is probably $65, $75. Midwest, maybe $40, $50, depending on if you’re around Chicago. I’d say when I first started doing this and giving my own lessons a decade ago, it probably increased about 20 to 25%.”
Prices for lessons have leveled out partly because more coaches are getting into the game. Williams said the advent of name, image, and likeness money in college has opened doors, allowing college athletes to earn money for coaching. The marketing is simple: they are elite athletes performing in an arena where many kids eventually want to go themselves.
“When NIL came out, we made it a huge part of our platform to have current college athletes doing it,” Williams said. “We have 3000 coaches now. I’d say at least half, if not closer to two-thirds, are current college athletes, and it’s awesome to see. They can set their own rates, they set their own schedule. It’s a flexible way to make extra income.”
Former Villanova soccer player Alex Fava made close to $20,000 working as a coach last year while wrapping up her college career. Williams has an ambitious goal of adding 7,000 more coaches to the Athletes Untapped platform by the end of 2026.
Is a private coach worth hiring?
While resources for young athletes are more accessible than ever, questions remain. Is the time and financial investment for parents and kids truly worth it?
A New York Life Wealth Watch study found that 83% of parents believe their kids have the skills to play at the college level. Despite that belief, less than 7% of high school athletes go on to compete in the NCAA.
Swimmer Kathleen Baker, who won gold and silver medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is one of the few who reached the pinnacle – with some help. It wasn’t just her athletic skills that increased while working with a personal coach; her confidence and mental focus also saw a boost.
“She said the biggest turning point in her career was when she was 12. She was a good swimmer, not great. A coach who had trained a couple of Olympians decided to work with her one-on-one.” Williams said. “By the time she was 14, she was training with Olympians and beating them because she had spent two years with this guy.”
Baker is now a coach in Wilmington, North Carolina, available for hire on Williams’ platform.
Williams was quick to point out that, although the landscape of private coaching is vast and continues to grow, it may not be suitable for every kid or family. The reality is that only a small fraction get to the pinnacle of professional sports. The risk of burnout from over-training or specializing in one sport at a young age is a serious concern that every parent should consider.
