Coaching Association of Canada and Canadian School Sport Federation strike deal to develop and deliver National Coaching Certification Program training to school sport coaches
The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and the Canadian School Sport Federation (CSSF) announced today their new partnership as the first pilot got underway. This agreement will have the two national organizations work on the development and delivery of a school sport educational module for coaches that will be nationally recognized as part of the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).
Targeted to high school sport coaches, this module will ensure that teacher-coaches and non-teacher-coaches are equipped to meet the needs of their student-athletes in a safe and ethical manner that exemplifies school sport philosophy.
“The CSSF is thrilled that this project is now ready to move forward and be delivered to Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador initially and then to the rest of the Provinces and Territories,” said Sue Keenan, President of the Canadian School Sport Federation. “This project is long overdue and will be a true benefit to both our teacher and community coaches involved in school sport from Coast to Coast.”
It is estimated that there are over 1 million Canadians aged 15 to 18 that regularly take part in organized sporti. Since the quality of their sport experience is a defining factor in their long-term participation, the CAC-CSSF partnership aims at reinforcing core competencies in school coaches such as problem-solving, critical thinking, interacting, valuing, and leading, through problem-based learning. This 4-hour module will focus specifically on school sport philosophy, policies, safety guidelines, and the roles and responsibilities of a school coach, and will serve as a complement to existing NCCP training.
“Just like CAC, the Canadian School Sport Federation believes that both strong technical skills and people skills are essential for coaches to be competent and trustworthy,” said John Bales, Chief Executive Officer of the Coaching Association of Canada. “This partnership is the true reflection of both organizations' will to provide learning opportunities to coaches, and we are confident that this new training will benefit the sport system as a whole.”
While most Canadian schools lack physical education specialists, therefore impacting fundamental movement and sport skills delivery and reducing the number of children who participate and excel at sport, this partnership agreement, delivered with the participation of provincial and territorial school sport associations across the country, has the potential to ensure that all school sport coaches in Canada are aware and able to effectively lead sport activities in a safe and ethical environment.
The first training sessions, approached as pilot sessions of the material, will be delivered in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador over the next few weeks, with the objective of extending the delivery to all provinces and territories in the coming years.
About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mission of enhancing the experiences of all Canadian athletes through quality coaching. CAC and its partners deliver a leading-edge coaching system whose goal is to have an impact on 1,000,000 athletes through the training of 100,000 coaches each year in the National Coaching Certification Program. Visit coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.
About the Canadian School Sport Federation
The Canadian School Sport Federation is the national body for school sport in Canada. The CSSF is the largest structured sport organization in Canada, with over 750,000 student-athletes, 52,000 volunteer teacher-coaches, and 3,200 schools in the member provincial and territorial federations and associations. The CSSF member associations and schools promote and advocate for positive sportsmanship, citizenship, and the total development of student-athletes through interscholastic sport.
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For more information, contact:
Britany Gordon
Coaching Association of Canada
613-235-5000, ext. 9-2389
bgordon@coach.ca
Sue Keenan
BC School Sports
604-737-3066
skeenan@bcschoolsports.ca
iSource: Sport Participation in Canada, 2005, Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2008060-eng.pdf