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Maintenance of Certification FAQs

What does Maintenance of Certification Cycle mean?

A Maintenance of Certification Cycle is the period of time over which the PD points must be accumulated in order to maintain Certified status (or in sport Trained status).

Who does Maintenance of Certification apply to?

All certified coaches, except those with Levels-NCCP certifications, must maintain their certification status. Some sports require their coaches who have achieved TRAINED status to maintain their status through the Professional Development (PD) program.

Browse a list of Maintenance of Certification Requirements by sport

Why do I need to maintain my certification?

Maintenance of Certification, through proof of PD and active coaching, is viewed as essential to athlete performance and the integrity of the NCCP. The Levels-NCCP was sometimes criticized because a coach could continue to be 'Certified' even if they had not coached for several years or did not keep their coaching knowledge up to date.

When did the requirement for Maintenance of Certification start?

The requirement to maintain 'Certified' status, through the accumulation of PD points and proof of active coaching, officially started for all sports on January 1, 2014.

How do I know how many PD points I need to maintain my certification?

You can review the number of points you need to maintain your certification on the Maintenance page of your coaching transcript on the Locker.

Does the number of required PD points vary from sport to sport or from context to context?

Yes. You can download an overview of the PD requirements by sport by consulting this Maintenance of Certification Requirements list.

How do I earn PD points?

There are many ways to accumulate points. Events that are organized by the CAC, your NSO or P/TSO, or P/TCR will advertise the number of PD points associated with the event.

In general:

  • NCCP training or evaluation events are worth 5 points;
  • Non-NCCP events are worth 1 point for each hour they last, up to a maximum of 3 points;
  • “Active coaching” will give you 1 point per year;
  • Through “Self-directed learning” you can earn a maximum of 3 points per five-year PD cycle.
How do I check how many PD points I have?

Your PD points will appear on your transcript as long as your profile information (name, NCCP#, etc.) has been recorded correctly with the organizer of the event, and your profile is up-to-date on coach.ca. You can check your profile and points by logging into coach.ca and using your NCCP# to check your transcript. Remember that PD points will only appear on your transcript after the data has been entered in the Locker.

Is there a limit to how many points I can accumulate?

No. You only need to earn the required number of points to maintain certification; however, you can accumulate as many PD points as you want. Please note that you cannot carry forward any points into the next cycle. Once the five year cycle ends (or any lesser period depending on your sport), PD points are re-set to 0.

What if I’m certified in two sports?

If you are certified in two sports, accumulated points will apply to both sports and their given contexts. The MoC cycles attached to each context within your different sport certifications will determine the windows in which points can be attributed to each MoC status.

What if I’m certified in two, or more, different contexts?

If you are certified in two, or more, different contexts within a sport, your accumulated PD points will apply to both contexts. Each Context has its own MoC cycle which may have different start and end dates than the other context(s). Please ensure that you are aware of the relevant renewal dates for each context that you are certified in.

Can I earn points if I attend a conference or course in a different country?

Yes. You can self-report many different things including university and college courses, first aid training, officials training and conferences in the Self-Report section under 'Certification' in your Locker profile.

Can I earn points if I completed a workshop offered by another organization?

Yes. You can self-report your learning for up to 3 PD points for the length of your maintenance cycle. Alternatively, if the other organization has an agreement to link their course/learning offering with NCCP PD points, those PD points will automatically be applied to your NCCP account.

If I attend the same workshop twice in one cycle, will I receive points for each?

Yes, but we encourage you to engage in a wide variety of learning opportunities.

What happens to my NCCP certification if I do not complete the required professional development in the time allowed?

Your transcript would show that your 'Certified' status has not been renewed. To be reinstated to 'Certified' status, you will need to acquire the listed amount of PD points associated to the given status.

Who do I contact if a PD activity does not appear on my transcript?

The best starting point is the organization that coordinated the event since it is responsible for entering the data. If, for example, you attended a workshop organized by Sport Manitoba, you should start by contacting Sport Manitoba to confirm that the data from the workshop has been entered into the Locker. If it has been entered and it still does not appear on your transcript, you can contact coach@coach.ca.

What does the status 'Not-Renewed: MED Online Evaluation' mean?

Not-Renewed: MED Online Evaluation' refers to certified (transferred) coaches not completing their Make Ethical Decisions (MED) Online Evaluation within five years after their transferred date. If you have the certification status of 'Not-Renewed: MED Online Evaluation' please complete the MED Online Evaluation. More information is available in the Locker. If you have achieved the necessary Professional Development (PD) points to maintain your certification while completing your MED Online Evaluation, your status will automatically switch to 'Certified'. If you have not, you will have to complete the required PD Points after completing your MED Online Evaluation to have your certification status switch to 'Certified'.

I’m not sure if I will be coaching for longer than five years. Should I still be earning points?

If you are not sure, why not accumulate points anyway? PD is a way to improve your coaching knowledge which, in turn, benefits the athletes you coach. Even if you think you might not be coaching five years from now, why not become the most knowledgeable coach you can be for the athletes you work with, however long you coach? And then if you decide to continue coaching later, you would not have to scramble to accumulate PD points.

Why don’t I have the same number of points counting toward the renewal of my different statuses?

Each context has it's own Maintenance of Certification cycle length and required number of points. If you have a different point count displayed in different statuses it could be because each status is on a different renewal schedule. For example, a status set to begin in 2023 and renew in 2028 could have less points displayed than a status set to begin in 2022 and renew in 2027. PD Points will only count toward a Maintenance cycle that is active during the time when the PD event is credited.

I got all the points I needed to maintain my status. Why do I not see the additional points I acquired beyond the number required for renewal?

The graphic that shows how many points you need to renew will not show a number greater than what is required. This does not mean that you "lose" any additional points. All PD points will accumulate toward your overall total associated to your profile, but they will only count towards status renewals that are within an active period of maintenance at the time of the PD event.