BGSU’s Matt Fannon will be one of the best-paid women’s soccer coaches in the MAC.

The contract extension, obtained through a public records requested by BG Falcon Media, shows Fannon will receive a base pay of $75,000 per year through 2022.

Fannon’s new salary is a 20% increase from his last contract, where his base pay was listed at $62,424 per year.

Fannon’s contract will also include a bonus structure. Fannon will receive $500 for being selected as MAC Coach of the Year, $500 for each team member awarded a MAC Player of the Year award, $1,000 if the team wins the MAC regular season title and $1,500 if the team qualifies for the NCAA tournament. Fannon and his team would have qualified for all of these bonuses last year.

Fannon’s previous contracts included similar bonus structures. The player award bonus amounts have doubled. His extension, however, includes new clauses regarding the NCAA tournament. 

If Fannon’s team appears in the NCAA Final Four, he will receive $2,500. For appearing in the NCAA championship, he receives $3,000, and for winning the championship, he receives $5,000.

Fannon will also receive $1,000 for being selected as Regional Coach of the Year, and $2,500 for being selected as National Coach of the Year, something he did not have in his previous contract.

There is also an academic-based bonus in the contract. Fannon receives $500 if the team attains a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with a single-year APR score of 985 or higher.

The amount of bonuses totals $18,500.

Also included in the contract are the terms of a buyout. If BGSU terminates Fannon’s contract without cause, they would pay him one year’s base pay or 75% of his remaining contract, depending on which is greater.

However, if Fannon terminates his contract anytime from now until Dec. 15, he would pay the university $50,000. That total drops to $25,000 if terminated between Dec. 16, 2019 and Dec. 15, 2020. That total drops again to $15,000 if terminated between Dec. 16, 2020 and Dec. 15, 2021.

Fannon would owe the university nothing if he terminates the contract between Dec. 16, 2021 and Dec. 15, 2022, the last year of his deal.

Fannon leaving early to take a coaching job at a bigger program would not be a surprise, given his success the last two seasons. 

The Falcons have posted an overall record of 27-12-4, a conference mark of 16-5-1.

The university clearly has plenty of faith in Fannon and his ability to win, which is evidenced by the new NCAA bonus clauses. The team appeared in the NCAA tournament last year, where they lost in the first round to Penn State 4-1.