OTTAWA, March 22, 2012 - The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today announced that the Government of Canada is providing additional funding to the Coaching Association of Canada.

“Our Government recognizes the important role that coaches play in the Canadian sport system at all levels,” said Minister of State Gosal. “That is why we are proud to provide additional funding to the Coaching Association of Canada so that it can continue to support the development of Canadian coaches from coast to coast to coast.”

This funding will support the “We Are Coaches” program, which recruits, trains, and retains women coaches and learning facilitators at the community sport level. It will also enable translation of new teaching material for the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and support user training and development of online professional development modules for “The Locker,” the new NCCP database.

“Coaches have an incredible impact on athletes at every level, and we truly appreciate the commitment of the Government of Canada to improving the training of coaches and the recruitment of women into coaching roles,” said John Bales, CEO of the Coaching Association of Canada.

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. The Government of Canada is providing an additional contribution of $300,000 to the Coaching Association of Canada through Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program. The total contribution of Sport Canada to the Coaching Association of Canada in 2011–2012 is close to $4.4 million including the additional funding announced today.

For more information (media only), please contact:

Jenny Van Alstyne
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P., Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
jenny.vanalstyne@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca