Member-to-Coach Information Guide

This guide is for Soldier On members who have found the benefits of sport through the Soldier On program and are now interested in becoming certified coaches in the sport of their interest. Sport can be a vital part of a recovery journey, offering physical and mental health benefits, and fostering a supportive community. Coaching allows you to inspire others and share the positive impact of sport. The Canadian sport system’s strongest asset is its coaches.

Benefits of Becoming a Certified Coach: 

Community Building: Create and nurture supportive networks while giving back to your community. 

Leadership: Develop skills to lead and motivate. 

Purpose: Find fulfillment in helping others succeed. 

In Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is responsible for setting and monitoring the Canadian coaching certification standards, develop coaching modules applicable to all sports, and keep records of all certified coaches in Canada through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). National Sport Organizations (NSO) and their member Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs) are responsible for the development of sport specific coaching courses, the delivery of these courses and ultimately the certification of coaches at various levels.  

For most sports, there are multiple certification levels one can achieve ranging from community coaching to high-performance/international level coaching. To be considered fully certified in a level, one must complete the “trained”, and then the “certified” status of a certification level. The number of courses and practical hours required for each level often differs between sports and is entirely set by the NSO.  

Currently, Soldier On does not provide any funding assistance towards a member’s coaching certification.  If you are a CAF serving member and are looking to get involved with the CAF Sports Program as a coach, please visit: CFMWS | Coaches Program | CFMWS for more information. 

Steps to becoming a certified coach 
The following is an overview of the basic pathway applicable to all sports within the National Coaching Certification Program (NCPP). 

Steps: 

1.  Identify your sport of interest. 

2.  Visit coach.ca and create an account on The Locker. 

3.  Get started by completing foundational multi-sport eLearning modules. This is a short list. Many additional modules are available: 
a.  NCCP "Coach Initiation in Sport" (Paid) 
b.  NCCP "Make Ethical Decisions" (Paid) 
c.  NCCP “Emergency Action Plan” (Paid) 
d.  Coaching Athletes with a Disability (Paid) 
e.  Safe Sport Training (Free) 
f.   NCCP “Making Head Way in Sport” (Free)  
g.  NCCP “Mental Health in Sport” (Free) 

4.  Enroll in sport-specific coaching courses through the NSO or PTSO. All required training components must be completed to achieve “trained” status. 

To achieve “certified” status, coaches must complete all necessary training components and complete an evaluation as per the NSO/PTSO requirements.
 
5. NSO/PTSO contacts can be found at the bottom of the following coach.ca webpage in the “Choose your sport and send an outreach email” section: https://coach.ca/new-coaching/become-coach.  

Contact and Resources 
Find more information on becoming a coach and the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) at coach.ca.
 
We hope this information guides you on your path to becoming a coach and making a difference in your community. 

Disclaimer: This page is for information and guiding purposes only. Information was gathered using the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) website and available online resources. Soldier On does not control the content of the CAC’s website or any other resource documents and references on this page.