The life of a football manager/head coach is always tricky, no matter the level at which they ply their trade. However, there are some differences between managers who work in the league and those who work in the non-league game.
Professionalism has brought a higher standard
The difference between league and non-league managers was once a gaping chasm, with the non-league game often derided or there being a stigma attached to playing outside of the EFL for players or managing for head coaches.
However, the gap between non-league and the EFL has narrowed in recent decades. The reason for the change in attitude is the increase in the profile of non-league football.
There is now more money in the non-league game. The increase in money has led to more clubs becoming professional. This means that the clubs have to operate at a higher standard than in the past.
The fact that the National League now contains so many former EFL clubs, and even a former Premier League club in Oldham Athletic, has blurred the lines of quality between the EFL and the National League.
Teams towards the top of the National League are often just as good as teams in the bottom half of League Two, as proven by the likes of former fifth-tier teams Stockport County and Wrexham winning promotion to League One in recent seasons.
Like players, many managers will be earning the same wages at a high National League club as they would at some clubs in League Two or even League One.
When Wrexham were in the National League, Phil Parkinson joined the Welsh club, having produced impressive managerial feats with EFL clubs.
Parkinson wasn’t a National League boss for long, though, as Wrexham won promotion back to the EFL in 2023 before winning another promotion to League One in 2024. Considering the recent investment in the club by its owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, their rise was somewhat predictable.
Now, the Welsh club may have been a one-off, but it shows that some National League clubs will have the resources to attract bosses and could match the wages on offer in League One or Two.
What is the difference then?
While some fifth-tier bosses may be on the same wages, their jobs can entail a lot more responsibilities than some of their counterparts in the two leagues directly above. Basically, it comes down to resources provided by the club.
Although many National League clubs are professional now, some clubs in the fifth tier will still be operating on a tight budget. This may mean that the manager is much more than just a head coach.
Many of the better-resourced EFL clubs will have special staff for training, nutrition, coaching, and scouting. However, some National League club bosses may not have the budgets to hire a massive backroom staff. They may have to be more hands-on when it comes to running the club and not just coaching the team.
Some may have to fulfil other roles than just coaching at their clubs, which no doubt is a significant mental strain compared to having staff do individual jobs. They may well have assistants, but some won’t have as big a backroom staff as some clubs in the EFL.
An excellent example of National League managers taking on multiple roles at a club was last season with Dorking Wanderers boss Marc White. Not only is he the manager, but he is also the co-founder and chairman of the club. Unfortunately for White and Wanderers, they suffered relegation back to the sixth tier in their debut campaign in the National League.
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Not many National League clubs can provide their managers with a big budget for transfer fees and wages either. That means that National League head coaches often have to be far better with their man-management and coaching, as well as being more tactically astute.
They will also generally be working with players of a slightly lesser quality than their EFL colleagues. However, as previously stated, many of the better players in the National League could compare with their League Two counterparts.
Often, clubs in the National League are content with just remaining in the fifth tier due to the club’s minimal budgets. One good thing for many National League bosses is that expectations tend to be relatively low unless you are at a former EFL football, where the fans may expect you to return their beloved club to the fourth tier.
It seems the difference between some managers at EFL clubs and the National League depends on the club. However, at the end of the day, management is still about strategy, man-management, and winning games, no matter the level, even if some National League bosses may well have to put in extra work than their EFL colleagues.