Coach course in a professional player contract: repayment of training costs

If a club pays for a coach course for an employed player, any later repayment claim depends on section 2d AVRAG and the specific agreement. The course must be successfully completed, provide specialist knowledge that can be used with other employers and have been actually paid for by the employer.

The review therefore covers the course content, the written repayment clause, the end of the training, the agreed binding period and the reason why the contract ended. Calling a measure coach training or presenting a blanket cost statement does not answer the repayment question by itself.

Section 2d(1) AVRAG covers training costs actually paid by the employer. The training must have been successfully completed and provide specialist theoretical and practical knowledge. That knowledge must also be usable with other employers. For a coach course, the specific curriculum, completion and later transferability are therefore central.

Internal induction is expressly excluded. This may include instruction in club-specific procedures or immediate use of an internal system. The classification follows the substance of the measure. The label coach course is not enough by itself, and an attendance confirmation alone does not prove successful completion.

A coaching qualification may meet the statutory criteria if it provides a separate, completed qualification with theoretical and practical specialist knowledge. Whether it does so must be checked against the programme, examinations and completion evidence. Later work as a coach may point to possible transferability, but it does not replace the legal review.

Under section 2d(2) AVRAG, repayment of training costs is permitted only on the basis of a written agreement between employer and employee. In a professional player contract, the agreement should identify the coach course, define how successful completion is shown and allocate the costs paid by the club in a traceable way.

The clause should also show which termination events trigger repayment, how the binding period is calculated and how the amount changes with each completed month. A blanket clause treating every early termination in the same way leaves central questions unanswered. The contract, amendments and attachments must be read together.

Section 2d(2) AVRAG also deals with remuneration paid during the training. An agreement to repay that remuneration is permitted if the employee is released from service for the duration of the training. Training costs and continued remuneration should therefore appear as separate items.

Section 2d(3)(2) AVRAG excludes a repayment obligation if the employment relationship ended more than four years after the end of the training. In special cases, the provision refers to more than eight years. The agreement must also account for the fact that repayment is excluded when a fixed-term employment relationship ends through expiry before that point.

The amount of the repayment obligation must be agreed pro rata. The statute links the calculation to each completed month from the end of the training until the end of the permissible binding period. A clause that always demands the same total amount regardless of the time already completed does not show this calculation in a traceable way.

The parties therefore need at least the date on which the training ended, the end of the permissible binding period, the actual training costs and the date the contract ended. The monthly calculation should be shown in the repayment demand. This makes it possible to compare the amount with the agreement and section 2d AVRAG.

Section 2d(3) AVRAG identifies several cases in which a repayment obligation in particular does not arise. They include the lack of legal-representative consent when the employee was a minor, the end after the permissible binding period, expiry of a fixed term and the absence of a pro rata agreement. Each point must be checked against the contract dates and documents.

Under section 2d(4) AVRAG, the claim also does not arise when the employment relationship ends during the probationary period, through an unjustified dismissal or a justified immediate resignation, or because of dismissal for permanent incapacity under the statutory provisions named there. The termination reason and the related notices must be preserved.

The claim is also excluded when the employer gives notice. The provision makes an exception if the employee culpably gave justified cause for that notice. This exception cannot be established from a label in the club letter alone. The notice, timeline and underlying facts are decisive.

The starting point is a traceable statement of the costs actually paid by the club. It should include the training provider invoice, proof of payment and the measure to which each item relates. Cost items without a clear connection to the successfully completed coach course require a separate explanation and review.

The file should also contain the complete professional player contract with amendments, the written repayment agreement, the course programme, attendance and completion evidence and communications about release from service and payment. The timeline should show the end of training, the start of the binding calculation, the termination notice and the contract end.

For a repayment claim, review the cost statement, termination reason and pro rata monthly calculation separately. The articles on outstanding salaries under a player contract and on a professional football release clause and transfer provide related orientation. They concern separate legal bases, but help place the contract ending in time.

Does a player have to repay coach-course costs whenever the player changes clubs?
No. The review depends on the legal classification of the measure, costs actually paid, the written agreement, the permissible binding period, the pro rata calculation and the reason the contract ended.

Is every course at a club training under section 2d AVRAG?
No. Induction costs are expressly excluded. The course must be successfully completed and provide specialist theoretical and practical knowledge that can also be used with other employers.

Can the club also claim back remuneration paid during the course?
Section 2d(2) AVRAG permits an agreement on repayment if the player was released from service for the duration of the training. This item should be reviewed separately from the training costs themselves.

What must the repayment clause say about the amount?
The repayment obligation must be calculated pro rata for each completed month from the end of training until the end of the permissible binding period. The clause should make that calculation traceable.

Which documents matter most for an initial review?
The professional player contract and amendments, written additional agreement, course programme, completion evidence, club invoices and payment records, termination documents and the monthly calculation.

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