 After he retired from playing football, Metalist Kharkiv head coach Myron Markevych invited Kovalets to work with him as an assistant coach in 2005.In 2008, Kovalets became the head coach of the newly promoted FC Lviv, who had an unsuccessful start in the Ukrainian Premier League.Kovalets failed to accomplish his task of keeping his team in the Premier League, which ended up losing to Illichivets in goal difference.