Thank-You Gift Ideas for a Coach

The season is over, and your child's coach gave up evenings and weekends to make it happen. A good thank-you gift for a coach comes from the whole team, costs little per family and shows what the season meant to the players. Most of the ideas below work as a group gift. Our top pick is a song about the season, with the team's name and its big moments, played at the end-of-season party.

Play a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry the coach's name and your team's stories.

12 thank-you gift ideas for a coach

1. A song about the season ($39.90). Share the team name, the comeback game, the practice in the pouring rain and the coach's favorite saying, and Songbond turns it into an original song. Play it at the party with every player in the room.
2. A game ball signed by every player. Write the season and the final record on it in marker. Usually $20 to $40 for the ball.
3. A team photo with a signature mat. Each player signs the white border around the photo before it goes in the frame. Usually $30 to $60.
4. An engraved clipboard. The coach's name, the team and the year. It goes to every practice next season. Usually $20 to $40.
5. A jersey with their name on the back. In team colors, with the number one. Usually $40 to $80.
6. A night out, funded by the parents. A restaurant card so the coach can take their own family out after a season of missed dinners. Usually $50 to $100 in total.
7. A highlight video. Parents send their phone clips to one person, who cuts three minutes of the best plays and funniest moments. Free if a parent edits it.
8. A folding sideline chair with their name. For the games they finally get to watch as a spectator. Usually $30 to $70.
9. A stadium blanket or rain jacket. For the coach who stood through every cold, wet Saturday. Usually $30 to $80.
10. A trophy for the coach. The players get one every year. Give the coach one too, engraved from the team. Usually $20 to $50.
11. Gear for next season. Cones, a ball bag, a first-aid kit. Coaches often buy these with their own money. Usually $30 to $80.
12. A volunteer list for next year. A card signed by parents offering to run snacks, carpools and field setup next season. Free, and it lightens the load.

How to choose for your coach

Think about who the coach is. A parent coaching their own child's team has given up time for nothing, and a gift that gives time back is welcome. A school or club coach has seen many teams come and go, so what stands out is anything that could only be about this group.

• If they are a volunteer parent: the night out, the sideline chair or the volunteer list.
• If they coach at a school or club: the signed ball, the highlight video or the song.
• If it was a season to remember: the trophy or the team photo.

How to hand it over at the party

Pick one player to give the gift, usually the captain or the youngest, and have the rest of the team stand behind them. Keep the speech to three sentences. If you are giving the song, play it on a speaker before the trophies go out, while everyone is still there. Collect money from families quietly with a set amount, so nobody feels pressured, and put every player's name on the card whether their family chipped in or not. Take a photo of the coach with the whole team and send it to every family that night.

Make a song for your coach

Create a team song for your coach. Share the season's stories and it is ready within 24 hours. If the party is tomorrow, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs for a coach and thank-you songs for a mentor.