Be a champion for your sport and community
Coaching makes a lasting difference for everyone involved — including yourself.
For participants, the shared experience of building skills and teamwork helps develop character and self-discipline that can put them on a path to success throughout their lives. According to the Ontario Coaching Report by the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO), a coach has a positive impact on a hundred or more people throughout their participation.
Whatever province or territory you live in, as a parent or other community member you can feel pride in your coaching role in helping your participants reach their potential. It’s an opportunity to lead, as well as connect with neighbours and peers, while developing future leaders through the personal and social development of their participants.
Even though some coaches are paid, coaching is the most common form of volunteerism in Canada. However, many organizations and clubs struggle to find coaches. The CAO report mentioned above also found that 65% of coaches in Canada’s most populous province say their organization or club has a hard time finding enough coaches each season. The greatest need is at the grassroots community level, in recreational, community sport, house leagues and intramural leagues.
If there’s community interest in your sport, there’s a need for coaching in your community!
Another reason people choose coaching is to stay connected to their favourite sport. It’s a way to promote diverse sports that make Canada a better place to live for everyone, by acting as a role model for players of all backgrounds. Coaches in communities like yours are finding opportunities to increase interest and opportunities for children and families who are passionate about basketball, cricket, field hockey, badminton, boxing, table tennis and more.
Imagine the joy you’ll feel, teaching participants new to the sport how to fast-bowl in cricket or put a backspin on a table tennis ball — not to mention make a perfect bank shot on the basketball court!
But you don’t need to be a top athlete to be a top coach. You just need to love sharing your love of the game! In fact, many coaches have not previously played the sport they now coach!
Get in the game and start making a difference as a coach!
There are sporting organizations in your community who need coaches right now. You can start your journey by visiting the "Become a Coach" page on the Coaching Association of Canada’s website, where we’ll take you through the step-by-step process.
Thanks to funding from the Community Services Recovery Fund, we’ve made it easy to track your coach education progress, and to complete eLearning modules on-the-go! There are many modules that you can access for free, and on your own schedule, using your mobile device or desktop. We’ve added new supportive functions, like voiceovers and an accessibility feature, to help users take their training in a way that works best for them.
Building strong communities is a team effort.
Know other community champions? Ask them to join the team! You can encourage others who share your love of sport to join you in giving something back — and experiencing the satisfaction of coaching.