All love the game and are competitive, driven individuals, but the demands are high.
Long hours, uncertain futures, often on call, and always on show, means stress is inevitable.
While weekly deadlines are squeezed or extended depending on the fixture (and the number of days between games), they never go away.
Add in a demographic profile that often includes young families and the conditions are ripe for burnout.
Former Collingwood and Bulldogs player Todd Curley, who holds a commerce degree, left his assistant coaching position at Fremantle in March to take up an opportunity to work in project management in the oil and gas industry.
Curley was nowhere near being burnt out but the 39-year-old father of two young children had come to the realisation he did not want to be a senior coach, was feeling the travel demands associated with working in football from the west, and found himself presented with an attractive option outside of football.
He said while the timing of his departure was not ideal for the football club, Fremantle understood the situation and were very supportive.
He remains comfortable with his decision.
"The skills you do learn with the footy club - whether you are a player or a coach - are easily transferable. You have got to be super organised, a good communicator and negotiator, so that in combination with the education got me the opportunity [outside football]," Curley said.
While most in an assistant coaching role would understand Curley's decision they remain addicted to the pursuit of football success, despite the inevitable strains.
Head of coaching and player development at Richmond, Tim Livingstone, says that while life inside an AFL club might appear glamorous, the reality of the role is that it is hard work.
"The assistant coaches perform such a critical role and the rewards can be terrific but it is onerous as well, and it is onerous when we talk work-life balance and time with family," Livingstone said.
Livingstone is someone who loves his job too, one of many assistant coaches who regard working in football as a dream job.
He's not complaining, just explaining that the short-lived, intoxicating highs - and the satisfying process of developing young players - are built on the back of a relentless working life.
It can be a shock to the system, particularly for those who walk straight from a playing career into a coaching career.
"I think it is a bit of a shock in regards to the time commitment that is required," said North Melbourne assistant Darren Crocker.
Changes in recent years - driven by factors such as increased technology, media focus and coaching specialisation - have seen responsibilities increase exponentially.
While no-one is complaining - and every assistant coach interviewed for this piece emphasised that they could not wish for a better job - the AFL Coaches Association has recognised that the personal cost can be high, particularly if assistants are unable to manage their role (or be supported to do so) or do not have an understanding partner to bear many of the family responsibilities.
Such realities are part of why the AFL and the AFL Coaches Association commissioned research to increase understanding of the assistant coaching role.
While they were seen to have skills transferable outside the AFL industry, recognition of what they could offer if their time in the game finished may be considered poor.
The research discovered that some clubs were better than others at understanding a balance between work and life in order to sustain high performance.
The AFL Coaches Association hopes to reduce the signs and symptoms of psychological distress in coaches by being proactive in addressing issues identified in the report.
They want those involved to have, in general terms, a positive experience. If they don't, then the chances the game will continue to attract the best coaching talent diminishes.
Dr. Mandy Ruddock-Hudson, from La Trobe University's School of Public Health, conducted the research. She says the results demonstrated the need for clubs and individuals to learn ways to manage the demands of a job that can be very rewarding.
"The coaches love the game. They eat, live, and breathe football," said Ruddock-Hudson. "[While] the majority of coaches understood what a work-life balance was and the importance of it, putting a work-life balance into practice was difficult."
The repetitive weekly ritual for the average line coach consists of attending multiple games of football; late nights coding games on video; early mornings presenting to players and preparing for training; individual catch-ups to develop players; lengthy match committee meetings (even longer since the sub rule was introduced), unexpected phone calls at any hour and, often, a home where players are made to feel welcome for dinner.
Add to that the weekly scrutiny from media and public alike and you have group of mostly 30- and 40-somethings in a role like few others.
Chris Fagan, Hawthorn's head of coaching and development, said the very public weekly assessments of performance separates the role from many other professional pursuits with similar time demands.
Only life in politics, he suspects, is comparable when it comes to public scrutiny.
"If you win, you must have prepared well for that week. If you lose, you must have prepared poorly that week," Fagan said. "If you have a bad patch and the board at the footy club gets a bit agitated and they start looking for a change or they start questioning everything that you do. It's tough."
Striving to win and improve can consume some people in a negative fashion too if they do not have good managerial support to guide them and receive honest, constructive feedback to let them know how they are going.
"It's one of those jobs where there is never enough done," said Fagan.
Those who have been in the business for a long time say the better clubs understand that it is vital for individuals within the football department to have a realistic work-life balance and set up structures to make that happen.
Hawthorn and Richmond have a set day off a week, where coaches are discouraged from coming into the club.
Those clubs encourage assistants to take a break and refresh their body and mind.
They might even delay a review meeting for a day if the chance arises after the most demanding Sunday twilight fixture.
Families are welcome at the club. Feedback is constructive and regular.
Livingstone and Fagan are responsible for giving the coaches feedback and making sure they operate at a sustainable level.
Fagan says feedback is the greatest protection against burnout and that managers have a responsibility to alleviate unnecessary worry for those in the job.
He said individuals need to pace themselves and he is always looking for opportunities to give assistants a little break to keep their energy levels high. "[You] need to put coaches at ease and understand they are people, and treat them like that and not like robots," said Fagan.
The 45-year-old Crocker has four children aged between six and 14. He says Kangaroos coach Brad Scott is very supportive of the need for balance and expects his coaches to use their day off to recharge but even in those circumstances Crocker admits finding time for each component of his life is "always the battle".
"I think it comes back to the environment that gets created within a footy club and the environment that Brad (Scott) and our footy club has been able to create has been a helpful one in relation to our assistant coaches," Crocker said.
Contracts add another element of uncertainty to the role at a time of life when most assistants are seeking certainty, with children in school and stability sought after.
It's very difficult for those coming out of contract at a team low on the ladder or those at clubs who have decided to change the senior coach.
In such a situation August becomes a month when conversations between clubs seeking work and assistants seeking certainty happen, often in a cloud of subterfuge. For people who value loyalty above most, this puts assistant coaches in a very difficult position.
While fixing that situation might be hard, one suggestion is that assistants will be free to speak to other clubs if their contract situation remains unresolved at the beginning of August.
A working group has been set up to examine issues surrounding coaches' contracts.
One of the coaches quoted anonymously in the report explained how lack of job security, while unavoidable, added stress: "You never quite know how long they're going to be here for, or what's around the corner, because if there is a change at the top, then what happens to the assistants, that can be one thing, and what do you do next if it doesn't happen? Are there other jobs in footy? How does your brand look to other clubs if you want to stay? We've got families, so do we want to shift, and things like that ... it's always challenging."
While the research showed that coaches had enormous support from their families, the reality is even the patience of the most supportive will be tested at times.
A dinner hosted by the AFL Coaches Association during women's round for the partners of Victorian coaches was the start of an initiative to involve partners in the conversation as to how stress can be managed.
As a coach quoted in the research report said: "You can push hard at times for one or two years, but are you going to be able to sustain an environment that's affecting your external relationships, or family, for much longer than that? Even yourself, and your own personal time."
With the average tenure of an assistant coach lasting fewer than five years, the other challenge is to create an awareness of the strong skills assistant coaches develop while working at clubs.
Not only do they work under pressure and scrutiny, they are at the forefront of leadership, education and team building processes.
"We've got to be really organised to make sure we keep getting things delivered during the week," Livingstone said.
Ruddock-Hudson, hopes the research and accompanying recommendations may ignite the development of appropriate programs and support services for coaches to ensure the game continues to be an attractive destination for the country's best coaches.
And to raise an understanding of what it takes to do well in the professional, all-encompassing job of an assistant coach.
"It's a great job, and the public perceive it to be that way, but it also comes at a cost," Ruddock-Hudson said.
