The coaching kit bag is the most personal piece of equipment a grassroots coach owns. What goes in it determines how smoothly sessions run, how quickly you can set up, and how much you're lugging around a muddy pitch at 8am on a Sunday. Here's what I actually carry.

The non-negotiables

These items should be in every coaching bag, every session, regardless of what you're coaching:

  • Balls: Enough for your squad (aim for one per player). In the correct size for the age group.
  • Bibs: 2 sets of 8 in contrasting colours.
  • Cones: Minimum 30 disc cones. 4 colours if possible.
  • First aid kit: Plasters, antiseptic wipes, cold spray or ice pack. Non-negotiable.
  • Whistle: Coated so it doesn't stick to lips in cold weather.
  • Water: Your own water. And ideally a small supply for players who forget.

First aid kit: Sports first aid kit*  ·  Cold spray (ice spray)*  ·  Sports plasters pack*

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The strong recommendations

Items that significantly improve session quality:

  • Stopwatch or sports timer: Essential for interval drills, timed games, and keeping sessions on schedule.
  • Coaching board: A4 dry-wipe or magnetic board for drill demonstrations.
  • Pop-up goals: 4 pop-up goals (in a carry bag) expands what you can run.
  • Ball pump with gauge: Balls lose pressure and the difference is noticeable. A pump takes 2 minutes to use.
  • Session plan holder: A waterproof sleeve for your session plan, clipped to your kit bag.

Stopwatches and timers: Coaches' stopwatch*  ·  Interval training timer*

* As an Amazon Associate, SimpleDrills earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability correct at time of writing.

Ball pumps: Ball pump with pressure gauge*  ·  Dual-action ball pump with needles*

* As an Amazon Associate, SimpleDrills earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability correct at time of writing.

Useful additions

These don't need to be in the bag every session but earn their place:

  • Agility ladder: Pre-match warm-up patterns and footwork drills.
  • Numbered bibs: For tactical sessions where you want to reference specific players.
  • Flat markers / spots: Better than cones for close-control drills.
  • Rebounder: For solo training between sessions and individual GK work.

Starter kit bundle: Complete coaching kit bag set*  ·  Coach equipment set bundle*

* As an Amazon Associate, SimpleDrills earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability correct at time of writing.

The bag itself

A dedicated coaching bag (large holdall or backpack with separate ball-carry section) keeps kit organised and means you're not hunting for cones at the bottom of a general sports bag. Most coaching bags have a separate ball net or ball pocket that carries 4–6 balls on the outside of the bag.

Coaching bags: Large coaching holdall*  ·  Coaching backpack with equipment pockets*

* As an Amazon Associate, SimpleDrills earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability correct at time of writing.

What I actually spend per season

A complete starter kit (balls, bibs, cones, goals, board, first aid) runs roughly £150–£250 depending on quality level. Annual replenishment (worn bibs, lost cones, ball pump needles) runs £20–£50. The bag itself, if bought well, lasts 5+ years.

Packing for different weather

Wet-weather sessions (see our cold and wet weather training guide) put extra kit through faster — cones scuff and crack on hard, cold ground, and bibs take longer to dry between sessions if you're coaching midweek and Saturday. A second set of bibs is worth the modest extra cost if your schedule doesn't leave a full week for the first set to dry out properly.

What's worth sharing across a club rather than buying individually

Pop-up goals, coaching boards, and ball pumps are natural candidates for a club-level shared kit store rather than every team's coach buying their own — they're used briefly per session and don't wear out from occasional use the way bibs and balls do. Balls, bibs, cones, and the first aid kit are worth keeping as your own, since you'll want them reliably available every single session regardless of what else the club has in its shared store.

Keeping the bag organised through a season

A quick five-minute repack after every session — checking cones are all back in, bibs aren't left balled up damp, the first aid kit hasn't been raided — prevents the slow item-by-item disappearance that otherwise happens over a season. Doing this at the end of the session while the bag is already open takes far less effort than a full inventory check once things have already gone missing.

What to do when kit goes missing

Cones and bibs walk off more often than coaches expect — left behind at a pitch, borrowed by another team, taken home in a player's kit bag by accident. Replacing lost items promptly rather than running short session after session keeps quality up; buying slightly more than the bare minimum of cones and bibs at the outset builds in a buffer for the inevitable losses.