Solving the Coaching Shortage: Sportdecals Partners with CoachBridge on the 1 Million New Coach Initiative

There's a coaching shortage affecting sports across the country. You've probably felt

it in your own program. Open assistant positions that sit unfilled. Scrambling to find someone, anyone,

willing to step in. Settling for whoever is available instead of finding the right coach. 

At Sportdecals, we've been outfitting teams for over 50 years. We know what great programs look like,

and we know they're built on more than just helmets and uniforms. They're built on great coaches who show up, care about kids, and build something that lasts. 

That's why we're partnering with CoachBridge on the 1 Million New Coach Initiative, a mission to bring 1 million new coaches into sports over the next decade. 

The Real Problem

Most people assume the coaching shortage exists because not enough people want to coach. Google search data tells a different story.

Thousands of people search for coaching jobs online every month. They just can't find them.

Here's what's actually happening. When programs need to fill an assistant position, they don't always post it online.

They text a few colleagues. They ask around at a clinic. They hire whoever says yes. If you're not already in the network, you never even know the job existed.

One coach recently shared that he spent hours searching dozens of district websites looking for

open positions. It was a pain and really hard for him to find anything that matched what he was looking for.

He never found anything. Meanwhile, qualified coaches sit on the sidelines while programs go understaffed. Not because people don't

want to coach. Because there's no way to connect schools with coaches who want to help.

The problem isn't interest. It's visibility.

The Solution: The 1 Million New Coach Initiative

CoachBridge launched the 1 Million New Coach Initiative to bring 1 million new coaches into

sports over the next decade. The goal is to build real infrastructure, content, tools, and resources that give people who want to coach a clear

path in and give head coaches what they need to actually build a staff.

At the center of the initiative is CoachBridge, the first job board built specifically for coaching positions. Every role lives in one searchable place.

The platform was built by Chris Coughlin, one of the founders of Glazier Clinics, who heard this same frustration from coaches at his clinics.

After selling the company, he built CoachBridge to fix the problem he'd seen firsthand. That's why it's designed differently than general job

boards, with filters by sport, level, location, and position type that match how coaches actually search for jobs.

Here's how it works. A coach in Ohio wants to find assistant football positions within 30 miles of where they live. Instead of visiting

20+ district websites hoping something is posted, they go to CoachBridge, filter by sport and location, and see every available

position in one list. When they find a match, the listing links directly to the school's application page.

On the school side, an athletic director posts an assistant basketball position for free. Instead of texting three people they know and hoping

one says yes, the posting reaches thousands of qualified coaches actively looking for opportunities. Better candidate pool. Faster fills. Less reliance on who you happen to know.

The platform is completely free for coaches. Schools can post unlimited assistant positions at no charge. Nearly 5,000 coaching jobs are posted

right now. Over 2,300 schools are using it. Programs are finding coaches. Coaches are finding programs.

Every job posted increases visibility. Every person who finds their way into coaching strengthens the profession. And when programs are fully staffed with qualified coaches

who actually want to be there, kids get the mentorship they deserve.

Join Us in This Initiative

We're inviting coaches and athletic directors to be part of this solution. If you have open assistant positions, post them at CoachBridge.org/submit-a-job. It's completely free and

takes about a minute. You'll join 2,300+ schools already using the platform.

Want to learn more? Visit CoachBridge.org/1m to see how the initiative is building real solutions to the coaching shortage.