Coaching Progression
Coaching Progression Information
Modified from a presentation by Sylvain Villeneuve, VP Coaches & Member Relations, with the St. Albert Minor Football Association. In this information package, I am providing information on the new NCCP program which can be found on the Football Canada website. This is a revamped program that was updated to provide better coaching for the sport of football.
Some of us had qualifications under the old system that will be transferable to the new program, but for the majority of new coaches, the information provided
Football Canada Coach Training under the new system.
On the above link, you will see what NCCP is all about, where you fit in and also pathways for football. You will then see a bunch of questions that will have down arrows so that you can choose your coaching goals. On the right end side, you will Tools and Tips on a variety of topics related to football and other sports as well.
Three very important ones in that section are Make Ethical Decisions which is required to be taken and passed online to become Level 1. The next one under it will be Making Head Way, which is the concussion module required by Football Alberta. If you look a little higher you will see NCCP Safe Contact which has become the standard for blocking and tackling all across Canada.
If you choose to attend any coaches clinics posted on the Football Alberta website under Coaching Development and choosing Upcoming Coaches Clinics, you will see the clinics offered throughout Alberta during the year. As part of each clinic, the Make Ethical Decisions module is part of the classroom part of the clinic. You will then need to go online and take the Online Module for Make Ethical Decisions to be considered NCCP Level 1.
From the ones I have attended so far, there will also be an on-field part to help coaches practice what they have learned in the classroom in respect to the position they are taking the Clinic for.
Good ones that I attended have been the University of Calgary clinic which I have attended for the last 3 years and also the University Of Alberta which was restarted in 2014 under the guidance of Head Coach Chris Morris. Both have a session called “Meet & Greet” where you can mingle with the coaches and also the presenters who come from outside of Alberta. It’s a good way to make contacts and gain some knowledge from coaches that are at a higher level than
you are. I have found them to be very open and very willing to share their knowledge with everyone. One of the coaches from the Golden Bears said to me that if he teaches me the proper way, it makes me better which in turn makes the kids better and everyone gains from it.
In the months ahead, more information will be posted on the Coordinator Stream as well as the Head Coaching Stream. Both of them will have requirements that will need to be met to be certified.
As you can see, there is way more than meets the eye to become a trained coach and as you go through the training, to become certified. As far as I know, BMFA will reimburse the costs of attending the clinics and modules taken such as Safe Contact, Making Ethical Decisions and Making Head Way.
To give you an example of what you will see once you sign in on
Coach and create a profile.
If you require more information than this document provides, be sure to reach out to someone at Football Alberta. I am sure they will be more than happy to answer all your questions. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to present this to you all.
