FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas has extended the contract of soccer coach Colby Hale through the 2024 season.
Hale’s new contract calls for an annual salary of $265,000, which includes compensation for speaking engagements, media appearances and sponsorship obligations.
Hale can also receive a one-year contract extension and $25,000 annual pay raise for each of the Razorbacks’ next two NCAA Tournament appearances.
The UA announced Hale's contract extension in a press release. Financial details were disclosed through a Freedom of Information Act request.
According to terms of an agreement signed in June 2019, Hale was previously under contract through December 2023 at a salary of $200,000 per year. He triggered a one-year extension and pay raise for NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Arkansas has transformed into an SEC powerhouse under Hale, who was hired in 2012. The Razorbacks have won or shared three consecutive SEC regular-season championships and Hale has been named league coach of the year twice.
“What Coach Hale, his staff and our student-athletes have done in the past few years is simply amazing!” UA athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “Thanks to three-straight SEC titles and deep runs in the NCAA Tournament annually, Coach Hale has helped establish Razorback Soccer as one of the premier programs in the country.”
Hale’s new contract comes on the heels of Arkansas’ 19-4-1 season that was the most successful in program history. The 19 wins were a record for the Razorbacks, who finished fifth nationally in attendance and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
After defeating Northwestern (La.) State, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame in the first three rounds of the tournament, Arkansas lost 4-2 in penalty kicks at Rutgers.
Arkansas’ soccer program, which was established in 1993, had never been to the NCAA postseason before Hale was hired, but has played in the NCAA Tournament eight of the past nine seasons.
Hale is the Razorbacks’ career wins leader with a record of 130-69-19.
"We are very excited to continue the work we have started here at Arkansas,” Hale said in a statement. “The success of our program is a reflection of the collective efforts of our student-athletes, assistant coaches, staff members, administrators, Razorback Foundation members and fans. Although we have accomplished a lot over the past few years, we still have goals left to achieve as a program.”