OTTAWA, Ontario - Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) and the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) are pleased to announce the creation of a jointly administered fund that will allow for up to four (4) qualified Canadian women coaches to work with their national team programs leading up to and during the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games. The positions are intended to support the learning plans and ultimate integration of female coaches into their respective national team coaching pools. The new program will provide qualified female coaches in select Commonwealth sports with advanced training opportunities and major games coaching experience and to prepare them for future coaching opportunities in international competitive events with national teams. "As a key stop along Canada's road to excellence in high performance sport, Commonwealth Games Canada believes that it is important to also develop the next generation of elite female coaches," said Scott Stevenson (Orleans, Ont.), Director of Sport for CGC. "This program will provide the selected candidates with the opportunity to experience pre-competitive training and team selection activities prior to major international games." "CAC's Women in Coaching Program (WiC) looks forward to this joint initiative with the CGC to help support the development of more Canadian women coaches," said WiC consultant Sheilagh Croxon of Toronto. "We believe that the involvement of more female coaches in high performance sport will enrich the sport experience for all athletes." In order to qualify for funding, coaches will be identified by their national sport organization (NSO) to coach their respective Canadian Team at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Throughout the period leading into and following the Youth Games and leading towards the Commonwealth Games, the NSO will support the development of the selected coach matching her with a national coach and/or a mentor coach who has a formal link to the national team program. The national coach, apprentice coach and mentor coach, in consultation with the CAC, will determine the role that the apprentice coach will play at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The apprenticeship program will be structured to meet the needs of each coach selected to the program and to enable an experience that will benefit both the candidate and the national team with which they become involved. This will be accomplished through the implementation of an approved personalized 2.5 year learning plan developed by the apprentice coach in collaboration with their national coach, and/or mentor coach. Interested coaches in sports on the sport programs of both 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games are encouraged to contact their respective national sport federation for information regarding this program. Applications for funding are now being accepted. The deadline for submission is Friday, June 20, 2008.
CLICK HERE to download the application form. 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 impact 1,000,000 Canadian athletes through the training of 100,000 coaches per year in the National Coaching Certification Program. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training. About Commonwealth Games Canada
Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) is a not-for-profit multi-sport organization that is the franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and is therefore responsible for submitting a single Candidate Bid City to the Commonwealth Games Federation. Since 1930, CGC has been strengthening sport within Canada and throughout the Commonwealth by participating in the Commonwealth Games and by using sport as a tool for development. For further information about Team Canada, the 2010 Commonwealth Games or our International Development through Sport programs, please visit our web site at www.commonwealthgames.ca.

-30-

For more information, please contact:

John Bower
Manager of Communications
Commonwealth Games Association of Canada
613-244-6868, ext. 230
819-921-8149 (Cell)
john@commonwealthgames.ca

Sandra Gage
Director, Marketing and Communications
Coaching Association of Canada
613-235-5000, ext. 9-2378
sgage@coach.ca