Coach gift ideas can be tricky because no coach will say that they want a present; but if they did a great job with your child, no doubt you would want to say thank you somehow. But really, how much do you want to spend and what would it even buy that you know they would love?

On average, most people like to spend around $20 according to a recent study by GroupTogether,. a website used by 100,000 Australians to collect money for group gifts. Well, $20 might buy a nice card and a box of chocolates … but how much better would it be if the whole team joined together and each put their $20 together! With an average of 15 kids on a soccer team, $20 each would mean a present to the value of $300.

If you’re thinking that it would be too hard to get everyone to give you $20, we have great news! It is super easy, just create a GroupTogether Collection, share the link with the team on WhatsApp or email or wherever, we collect the money and a message from each person and when the collection ends, you get the total amount and a card with special individual messages from each child! Then, the coach will receive a special card with all the kids photos and a special message and a link to choose what gift card they would like and what to spend it on! Everyone wins!!

We asked what Coaches Really Want!

Now, upon consultation with some coaches, the top ranking ‘most wanted coach gifts’ were actually gift cards. Bill Mather, a kids basketball coach we asked said:

“I never expect anything as I coach to help the kids, but, if I was to get something, it would be great if they all just chipped in for a special bottle of scotch – or a gift card for a bottle shop so I could choose my own bottle of scotch ~ that way the kids won’t see the alcohol!’

The other coaches we spoke to said very similar things about everyone contributing to a gift card so they could choose what they wanted or needed.

Worst Gifts: This was funny to listen to!!

• Best Coach mug – “‘I have 23 mugs at home that say I’m the best coach – I can only drink from one at a time!'”
• Photo frame with a picture of the child
• Best coach underwear – “One year I got a pair of briefs which had ‘Best Coach Ever’ written all over them. It must have taken them a while to find something like that, but really, it was just awkward!!”

Best Coach Gift Ideas: here they are!

With this in mind, here were the best Coach Gift Ideas, as told to us by the coaches themselves:

1. Dan Murphy’s Gift Voucher

Upon analysis of coaches, the most sought after gift voucher was to a bottle shop! They mentioned particular bottles of scotch or particular wines that they love. With a Dan Murphy’s gift card, they can buy what they want, when they want!

2. VIP tickets to a sporting event

What coach doesn’t love sporting events! At the end of season are always finals and tickets to these events would be perfect for the coach to show your appreciation! Just make sure the coach doesn’t have tickets first!

3. BCF/Rebel Gift Card

BCF and Rebel have a great range of sporting equipment, clothing and accessories that an active person would love.

4. Night Out

Going out for a night out is lovely – but do you know what type of food the coach loves to eat? Do you know where the coach likes to go out? If you are not 100% sure, a gift like a GoodFood gift card would be ideal.

The coach gets to decide where and when to use the voucher for a special night out.

5. RedBalloon Gift Voucher

If you want to give an experience, but you’re not sure exactly what experience the coach would want, then a RedBalloon gift voucher is the way to go!

RedBalloon is a website that has some really amazing experiences that can be selected by the coach. You can either choose a gift card or nominate the actual experience! For example, For example, the coach can choose:

• Skydiving (now that would be fun!)
• Hot Air Ballooning
• Day Tours
• Rally Driving
• Jet Boat Ride

6. Fuel Gift Voucher

With the cost of fuel these days, many coaches said that a fuel voucher would really help as they use quite a bit of fuel each week getting to training and to games. So a fuel voucher would be a great ease on the coach’s finances. The WISH card lets you spend at Woolworths, Dan Murphy’s, Caltex and Big W.

7. Bridge Climb

There are a few iconic bridges that now allow climbers to go up on sunset and experience a different view of the area/city. A certain level of fitness is required, although you certainly don’t need to be a gym junkie! Go for a Redballoon gift card to choose anything from bucket list adrenaline experiences to meditation, cooking classes and gin tasting.

Some of the bridges in Australia include:

• Brisbane’s Story Bridge
• Sydney’s Harbour Bridge

8. Cinema tickets

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like to go to the movies to see the latest blockbuster. And what better way to relax after the sporting season than going to the movies!

If your looking for a gift card, check out Event Cinemas – they have hundreds of locations around Australia.

9. JB HiFi Gift Voucher

The large number of male coaches said a JB HiFi Gift Card would be perfect! They could then go down and buy whatever has been on their wish list! As JB HiFi has a diverse range of entertainment, there is (almost) something for every coach out there!

Some coaches said, although they could not justify the whole cost, if they had a gift card to help with the cost, they could buy a new phone, laptop, earbuds, bluetooth speakers, or simply a couple of TV series they would love to watch!

Whilst all these are great Coach Gift Ideas, I’m thinking that given there are so many different gift cards that can be given, it might be an idea to let the coach choose which gift card they want. Let everyone chip in a little, sign the card, then give the coach a voucher with a link to choose the gift card they really want. It is really simple to create a collection on GroupTogether.com. They do the heavy lifting – the card, the collecting and the voucher to let the coach choose the gift card they really want. You can share the link on your team WhatsApp group or however is easiest.