Coaching Education

Becoming a Coach

Questions about coaching education? Email Jennifer Brown, BCA Coaching Education Coordinator

Coaching Courses

Coaches require different knowledge and skills depending on who they are coaching. Rather than completing courses in a paticular order, you take the coaching courses relevant to the athletes you are coaching.

Watch this video explaining the
NCCP Athletics Canada coach education pathway. 

Follow to the chart below to find your appropriate coaching context   

*Click on the courses or evaluations for more info
* Courses and evaluations can be completed in any order 

Course Calendar

• See here for Run Jump Throw Wheel Courses
• Note sure which course is right for you? Click here fto find out
• Don't see a course you are interested in below? Submit an interest form or request to host.
• Need financial assistance? See our grants and bursary page 

Important Course Info

• Review our course descriptions and requirements to find out which course is right for you and it's requirements
• View the Minimum age requirements
• Sign up for a free NCCP Number required for all NCCP Courses 
• Sign up for a BC Athletics COACH Membership for discount on NCCP BCA Courses
• Find grants to support your coach education for those who need 

Filter

20152016201720182019202020212022

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Course Interest/ Request Form

BC Athletics organizes Coaching Education courses throughout the year.  We would like to meet the needs of as many BC Coaches as possible. 

Check our Course Calendar before submitting a course interest/requset form to see if there's a course near you. See our courses descriptions to see which course is right for you.

Please complete the approprite form below to assist us in setting up the courses in areas of interest. 

Hosting Guidelines

All NCCP Courses Must be Pre-approved by BC Athletics 

MINIMUM 6 COACHES are required to host a course or equivalent registration  

• For example, if you have 4 coaches the cost of hosting would be the cost of 2 regisrations
• BC Athletics can help promote the course to fill the additional spaces

ROLES:

• ​BC Athletics covers all costs including Learning Faciliator fees (pay, travel, accomodation), facilities and insurance. They organize the Learning Faiclitator, manage registration, and help promote the course provincially
• We ask the Host Clubs help to finding local bookings for facility, equipment and promote the course locally 
   

SCHEDULES and EQUIPMENT LIST

• ​Our standard example schedules are below as well as suggested equipment. However, we can work with you to create a schedule to accomodate your needs and will connect you to the learning facilitator to arrange equipment. 
   
• We will be offering Foundations of Coaching (theory modules for Sport and Club Coach) online for coaches anywhere in the province. Clubs can then host just the Techincal portions of Sport and Club.

Evaluation

The first step to becoming certified is taking a Coaching Course and becoming NCCP TRAINED. Find them here.  

From there, you can be evaluated to be NCCP CERTIFIED 
 

What Does Certification Mean?
There are three levels of NCCP qualifications for any pathway:

1. In training = Taken partial course requirements 
2. Trained = Taken all course requirements (e.g., athletics course + multi-sport courses) 
3. Certified: Completed all evaluations required (athletics + multi-sport evaluations)

Certification Requirements

Steps to Register for Athletics Evaluation

1. Create an account on Athletics Canada’s evaluation site. This requires:
   • a BC Athletics COACH membership number (same as your AC number). look it up here
   • an NCCP number with the Coaching Association of Canada. Look up your number here 
      
2. Under the Status tab find the context you which to be evaluated in. Click register and then click both tabs to register and pay. 
    
3. Once this is done you will be assigned an evaluator and you can upload your portfolio on the same site and communicate with your evaluator to organize a time for your observation.   

• You will also find your marking rubric this site that will provide you with a check list of what is required. Click on "Documents",  the Select your Context  from the drop down menu, and download the "Marking Rubric
   

Why Become Certified?  

Certification Ensures Professional Standards: 

• The Coaching Association of Canada and its partners, recognize the value of having certified NCCP coaches that are engaged in Professional Development programs.
• This reinforces the values of lifelong learning and sharing amongst the coaching community. 
• As in any profession, Canadian coaches must also show their competency through an evaluation of their coaching tools, practices, and competitions.   

Profession Development Opportunity:

• Please remember, the evaluation process is meant to be a shared learning experience similar to a mentorship rather than a pass/fail one-time interaction. 
• The evalutor is not judging your coaching technique but there to share ideas, ask questions, and ensure you are safe, ethical, and meet the standards set by either Athletics Canada or the Coaches Association of Canada.

Important Notes

• The preferred order to complete your evaluation is it complete your portfolio prior to your practice and/or competition observation. However, this order is not required.

• Coaches can choose to skip the course and go straight to evaluation. However if the coaches skips the course and does not pass the evaluation, they will need to take the course before repeating the evaluation

• You will be required to collect Professional Development Points (Pro-D Points) over 5 years after you are certified to maintain certificaiton

• Multi-sport evaluations are free if you complete the course first, and you will have unlimited attempts to pass. if you skip to evaluation, it is $85 with 3 attempts to pass with 75% 

• The minimum age to be certifed is 16. Learn more here

Maintenance of Certification

All NCCP Certified coaches in any context or sport are requried to maintan certification through professional development points once they are certified. 
 

Maintenance of certification, through proof of ongoing learning (Professional Development, Pro-D) and active coaching is viewed as essential to athlete performance and the integrity of the NCCP.

Once certified, coaches have 5 years to collect the amount of Pro-D Points shown below. If they do not, their status will changed to Trained until they collect the required amount. 
 

How can you earn Pro-D Points?

See the chart below on how you can earn pro-d points. Check out the our Professional Development Tab for some options

How to self-report pro-d points under your profile in the locker.

How can I check how many PD points I have? 

• Log in to the locker.
• Click profile > certification > maintenance (see green circle in photo above)

This will show you how many points you have out of how many you need, and when your cycle starts (year you were certified) and when it expires (how long you have to collect the required points)

Find Out More about Maintenance of Certification and PD Points:

• Athletics Canada’s NCCP Website 
• Coaching Association of Canada 

Professional Development

Professional Development is key to life long learning and coach development
take for your own development, or to collect professional develompent points for your maintenance of certification. 

NCCP Multi-Sport Courses
Each NCCP course you take (whether multi-sport, athletics, or evaluation) will provide you with 5 pro-d points. They are offered:

• In person or online by viaSport and the Regional Alliance (see calendar here) and in other provinces (login and visit the locker calendar)
• As e-learning modules in the locker to be completed any time (click the previous link to login to the locker and access courses)
  • ​You can filter the e-learnings as the top of the page by multi-sport, athletics, or more
  • The athletics tab has some great e-learnings for parents getting started , high performance coaches, officals, competition management etc!

Non-NCCP Professional Development Webinars
The following organizations offer a variety of webinars. Some have pro-d points available automatically, others you can self-report your points on the locker (See maintenance of certification for information on how to do so)

Grants and Bursaries

At BC Athletics we recognize that attending coaching courses may not be financially assessible for all coaches. The grants below are available to help support your needs. 

Minimum Standards for Coach Membership

Please read over the info below and on the website. If you have any questions that cannot be answered from the website please email Jen!  jennifer.brown@bcathletics.org

Step 1: Get an NCCP Number (before Jan 1st, 2017)

• Takes just 2 minutes and is FREE!
• Follow this link:  https://thelocker.coach.ca/Account/login?mode=register

Step 2: Take an NCCP Coaching Course (In-Training) (before Jan 1st, 2018)

• Look at the yearly coaching calendar and plan ahead
• Follow this link:  http://www.bcathletics.org/Education/Sub/upcoming-courses-pro-d-sessions/250/ 

Step 3: Complete Additional Requirements (Trained) (before Jan 1st, 2019)

• All coaches in all sports need to take the Make Ethical Decisions course or MED online evaluation
• Find courses here:  http://www.bcathletics.org/Education/Sub/upcoming-courses-pro-d-sessions/250/ 
• Or Find courses here:  http://www.viasport.ca/coaching/nccp-course-calendar

Still have Questions or Need More Information?  

Below are some links to provide you with all the details of BC Athletics New Minimum Standards for Coach Membership.

Link to the initial email sent from BCA President and BCA CEO:

http://www.bcathletics.org/admin/js/elfinder/files/Coaching/InitialEmailFromBrianGregAug2016.pdf 

Making Sense of the New BCA Minimum Coach Standards (FAQ and Solutions):

http://www.bcathletics.org/admin/js/elfinder/files/Coaching/FAQFlyer.pdf

3 Simple Steps to Becoming Trained:

http://www.bcathletics.org/admin/js/elfinder/files/Coaching/3StepsFlyer.pdf

Graphic Explanation of Athletic Canada's NCCP Coaching Pathway:

http://www.bcathletics.org/admin/js/elfinder/files/Coaching/AthleticsCoachingPathwaySportCoachClubCoach.pdf

FAQ

What is an NCCP number? 

What is In-Training vs Trained vs Certified? 

How do I find what trainings or certifications I have?

What are the age requirements to be trained or Certified? 

Do I need a BC Athletics Coach membership for courses? 

How do I access course manuals? 

How can I receive financial assistance? 

Where do I find evaluation rubrics? 

Do I need to take Athletics Courses before the evaluation? 

Do I need to take the multi-sport courses before the evaluation? 

What is an NCCP Number? ​

• An NCCP number gives you access to the Locker, which is the Coaching Association of Canada's database system for all sports. All your coach education will be tracked on the Locker.
• You can login to the Locker to view your coach education transcript, course history, professional development points, as well as take online courses and multi-sport evaluations 
• Sign up for an NCCP number or look up your number here.  It's free and takes two minutes!  

What is NCCP In-Training vs Trained vs Certified?

• There are three levels of NCCP certification for any pathway: 
  • In-Training: Taken partial course requirements. 
  • Trained: Taken all course requirements (ex. athletics courses & multi-sport courses) 
  • Certified: Completed all evaluations required (ex. athletics evaluations & multi-sport evaluations) 
     

How do I find our what Trainings or Certifications I have?

• Click here to login to the locker with your NCCP Number
• Click on the "Certification" tab at the top 
• You will see all the courses and certificaitons that you have as well as your NCCP Status (in-training, trained, or certified)
• OR click the "history" tab to see a timeline of when you have taken your trainings
   

What are the age requirements? ​

• The minimum age to obtain a Coach Membership with BC Athletics is 15 
• However, coaches can start their NCCP training (i.e., take a course) in preparation for coaching at 14
• The minimum age to be NCCP Certified (i.e., take an evaluation) is 16 

​

​Do I need a BC Athletics coach membership for courses?

• No, you do not need to have a coach membership to enrol in courses. However, being a BC Athletics member will grant you discounts for many of the coaching courses available. 

How do I access course manuals?

• Electronic Copies 
  • The NCCP Course Manuals are accessible for free online to all coach members and course participants under the "Documents" tab at https://athletics.ca/coach/
  • Coaches will need their BCA Coach Membership Number (this is the same as your Athletics Canada number) to sign up or log in. You can look up your BCA number here. 
     
• Hard Copies 
  • Coaches have the option of ordering hard copies of the course manuals for a fee. You can order them with your course registration or seperatley by filling out this form. The fees are listed below: 
    • Sport Coach Workbook: $15.00 + GST and Shipping (used in Foundations of Coaching Online Theory Modules)
    • Club Coach Workbook: $17.00 + GST and Shipping (used in Foundations of Coaching Online Theory Modules and Club Coach Course)
    • Sport and Club Coach Technical Manual: $14.00 + GST and Shipping (use in Sport and Club Coach Technical Course)

How can I receive financial assistance?

• Please visit our Grants & Bursaries page to learn more about financial assistance options for coaches. 

Where do I find evaluation rubrics?

• The evaluation rubrics provide you with a check list of what is required for your portfolio and observations. 
• Login to Atheltics Canada. You can sign in with your Atheltics Canada number (same as your BC Athletics number - found here) 
• Click on "Documents", then select your context from the drop down menu and download the "Marking Rubric" 

Do I need to take athletics courses before the evaluation?

• No, the evaluation assesses the coaches knowledge and competency. You can obtain this compentncy from the course, on your own, and take the evaluation when you feel ready. 
• However, 
  • If you take the athletics course first, you have unlimited attemptes to pass. If you skip the course and go straight to the evaluation, you have one attempt to pass and if you don't, you will need to take the course first before attempting the evaluation again. 

Do I need to take the multi-sport courses before the evaluation?

• No, however: 
  • If you take the multi-sport course first, the evaluations are free with unlimited attemptes to pass with 75% of higher. 
  • If you skip the course and go straight to the evaluation, the cost is $85.00 with 3 attempts to pass with 75% or higher. 
• To take the multi-sport evaluation, login to the locker and click the e-learning tab to find your respective evaluation (all are online).