Youth & adult sports training

Books and taxes for quarterback and position coaches.

Off-season training blocks that run opposite the football season, film breakdown billed apart from on-field work, a weekend trip to a recruiting camp two states over, and a Jugs football machine you paid off in one order. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AprilExample month
$4,700
what you made

April came in at $4,700. The film breakdown add-on for two of your players got billed separately from their on-field sessions, the way it should.

  • Zelle, off-season trainingOff-season training packages
  • Film breakdown feesFilm review add-ons
  • Field rental, spring blockField and facility rental
  • Recruiting camp travelCamp travel
  • Footballs and throwing gearTraining equipment
Money in$11,500
Money out$6,800
Set aside for taxes$1,300
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A position coach's books go wrong in the same handful of spots.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your busiest months run opposite the football season itself, you bill film breakdown as its own service, and some weeks include a trip to a camp two states away with a player. When the books do not know that, your slow season looks like trouble instead of the plan working as expected.

  1. 1

    Off-season training blocks get judged against a calendar year, not a football year

    Your busiest months run through winter and spring while players are between seasons, and your slowest run through the fall while they're with their school teams. Measured against a plain calendar year, the pattern looks like a business in trouble instead of one following its actual season.

    What we doTracks your income against the off-season training calendar, so a quiet fall reads as expected rather than alarming.
  2. 2

    Film breakdown gets folded into on-field training fees

    Reviewing a player's game film in Hudl is a separate service from running drills on the field, often billed and delivered on a different schedule, but it's easy to log both as one lesson fee.

    What we doKeeps film breakdown income in its own line, apart from on-field sessions, so you can see whether that service is worth the time it takes.
  3. 3

    Camp travel costs get mixed with everyday training expenses

    Traveling with a player to an out-of-state recruiting camp means a hotel, gas, and meals on top of your usual local costs, and if it's lumped in with routine training expenses, you lose track of what that trip actually cost you.

    What we doKeeps camp travel costs in their own category, so a trip's real cost is visible against what it was worth to take.
  4. 4

    A throwing machine or radar gun gets filed as a training supply

    A Jugs football machine or a radar gun for measuring throwing velocity costs closer to a piece of real equipment than a bag of footballs or a set of cones.

    What we doFlags machines and radar guns as equipment, not supplies, and gets the accountant's call on how they should be written off.
  5. 5

    No one withholds anything, so a good spring can hide a rough tax bill

    Every dollar paid through Zelle or Venmo for training is fully yours to set aside for taxes, with no employer doing it for you, and a strong off-season can quietly turn into an unpleasant April if nothing was saved.

    What we doSets aside a percentage of what you earn every month, so the amount due doesn't come as a surprise, even after your busiest stretch.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a quarterback and position coach.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Off-season training packagesMulti-week blocks run during a player's off-season.
  • Film review add-onsGame film breakdown, billed apart from on-field sessions.
  • In-season maintenance sessionsLighter touch-up sessions during a player's actual season.
  • 7-on-7 and team consultingPaid work advising or coaching a travel team on the side.

Money out

  • Field and facility rentalTurf or field time rented for training sessions.
  • Training equipmentThrowing machines, radar guns, resistance bands, and footballs.
  • Camp travelHotels, gas, and meals for trips to recruiting camps.
  • Film review softwareHudl or similar tools used to break down game footage.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for your coaching business.
  • MarketingYour website, social media, and word-of-mouth promotion.

What we watch for you

  • Off-season versus in-season split

    How your income actually tracks against the football calendar, not a plain month-to-month view.

  • Film review attach rate

    How many training clients are also paying for film breakdown.

  • Camp travel cost

    What a recruiting camp trip actually costs against what it was worth taking.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so a strong off-season doesn't turn into a rough April.

Ask Gus

Things position coaches ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

My income drops off every fall once the season starts. Is that going to look bad on the books?

No, I track your income against the off-season training calendar, not a flat month-to-month view, so a quiet fall reads as expected instead of a red flag.

I drove a player to a camp in another state and paid for the hotel myself. Is any of that deductible?

Likely some of it. Send me the receipts and mileage, and I'll log the trip as camp travel so the accountant can sort out what qualifies.

I bill separately for reviewing a player's game film in Hudl. Should that be tracked apart from lessons?

Yes, and I already keep it that way. It lets you see whether film breakdown is actually worth the time it takes compared to on-field work.

The tax side

The tax side of a quarterback and position coach.

Most of what trips up a position coach is a lopsided income calendar and travel costs that need to be tracked to actually count.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Self-employment taxAs a self-employed coach, you owe 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, since no employer is covering half of it for you.
  • Business travel to recruiting campsTravel costs tied to coaching or accompanying a player to a camp, including mileage, lodging, and some meals, can often be deducted as business travel when properly tracked.
  • Training equipmentA throwing machine or radar gun can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost self-employed coaches can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when off-season and in-season income are tracked all year.

Deductions quarterback and position coaches miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Footballs and throwing gear
  • Field or turf rental
  • Hudl and film review software
  • Camp travel, lodging, and mileage
  • Radar guns and stopwatches
  • Resistance bands and arm care tools
  • Liability insurance
  • Website and booking tools
  • Coaching certification fees
  • Phone used for scheduling clients
  • Storage for training equipment
  • Camp and combine listing fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A position coach's year, kept every month.

Your busiest stretch runs opposite the football season, but your taxes still come on a fixed schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is already running well ahead of your busiest off-season stretch.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, right in the middle of your busiest off-season training stretch.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring and summer camp travel changed the number.

  4. October

    During the quiet stretch

    While in-season demand is light, Gus checks in on equipment worth buying and next year's off-season block pricing.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for quarterback and position coaches. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions position coaches ask first.

My busy season runs opposite the actual football season. Will that confuse the books?

No. Gus tracks your income against the off-season training calendar, so the pattern makes sense instead of looking like a random swing.

I sometimes travel with a player to an out-of-state camp. What should I be tracking?

Mileage, lodging, and receipts for the trip. Gus logs it as camp travel, and the accountant sorts out exactly what qualifies as a deduction.

I bill film breakdown separately from on-field training. Does that need its own category?

It helps to keep it separate, and Gus already does. That way you can see whether film review is pulling its weight against the time it takes.

Do I need to make estimated tax payments during the year?

Usually yes, since nothing is withheld from what you're paid as a self-employed coach. Gus tracks a monthly set-aside so the quarterly amounts are never a surprise.

I've never kept real books, just tracked payments in my phone. Can Gus start from there?

Yes. Send over your bank statements and whatever payment history you have, and Gus builds a real system from what actually came in and went out.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever