Frequently Asked Questions

General

Every sport is different so there is no one simple answer. A good place to start is to contact the Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) for the sport you wish to coach. You can also find information about getting started on our Become a Coach page.

Depending on the age group and context you wish to coach, they may have various combinations of Sport Specific (taken through the PSO) and Multi Sport (taken through us at the CAO) courses. PSOs often have this information on their website.

If you need a Multi Sport Module, CLICK HERE to check our calendar for in-class and online options.

If you can’t find something on the calendar or if you have other questions, visit our CONTACT US page and give us a call or email education@coachesontario.ca.

Get started on your coaching journey today!

1. If you are already connected to a club (you’ve played there, or your child plays there) start with that club

2. If someone you know coaches at a nearby club, that’s the second best place to start

3. Third option is a quick google search of nearby clubs for your sport

4. If you’re total stuck, contact your Provincial Sport Organization

Now, reach out by phone or email to your club contact, clubs admin, or coaching friend with a message about volunteering as a coach.

Starting as an Assistant Coach to an existing Head Coach is a great way to begin. It usually involves less commitment, provides you with an experienced mentor, and gets you involved right away. Many head coaches will take on an assistant mid-season.

Depending on your sport, you may be able to start right away as an assistant coach. Other sports require a few more NCCP courses before starting. Almost all head coaching positions required sport specific NCCP training.

No – NCCP training and Quest for Gold funding are completely separate from CAO Membership.

CAO Membership benefits include discounts with our partners like Choice Hotels and VIA Rail, preferred rates to CAO hosted events and more, but membership is not required to register for an NCCP workshop or apply for a Coach Bursary. For more information please check out our Become a Member page.

Connecting thousands of coaches across Ontario

You do not need to log into the CAO web page to register for any NCCP course. There is no need to log in unless you want to be able to access the Members Only area, which is completely separate from course registration.

Most courses on our course calendar list Host information (name, contact number and email address) and you must reach out to the Host to register. Otherwise, there is a ticket selector along the top of the event and you can pay using a VISA or MasterCard directly through our site. No log in required!

If you have other questions regarding your log in information, visit our CONTACT US page and give us a call or email education@coachesontario.ca

Please contact us – the CAO Team is here to help!

NCCP Training

The NCCP multi-sport module Make Ethical Decisions is approximately 3.5 hours long and is available in a variety of formats: in-class, remote access online and Home Study.

All our currently scheduled Make Ethical Decisions (MED), both in-class and remote access online, courses are located HERE.

If you cannot find an MED course time and date that is convenient for you, please keep checking back as we update our course calendar regularly. Or you can scroll down on the calendar page and fill out the form to be notified by email when a course near you is added.

We also have a Home Study option. Please note, this is a last resort option, once you are registered there are no refunds available and the hours required for completion may be more than what is required of coaches attending an in-class course option due to the nature of the individual learning environment.

Home Study is a correspondence based learning method – CLICK HERE to check out available Home Study courses – the Coach Workbook is automatically emailed to you once you have registered, the Reference Guide will be shipped to you.

The cornerstone of NCCP Training. A must for all coaches

If you have taken the workshop portion of Make Ethical Decisions (MED), you will still need to complete the Online Evaluation. To access the evaluation, CLICK HERE or log into your account in the locker at thelocker.coach.ca. Click on the E-learning tab at the top of the page. This will open a sidebar menu along the left hand side of the screen. Select “Make Ethical Decisions (MED) Online Evaluation” from the sidebar and then click on the image for the evaluation.

If you have already taken the workshop, the evaluation is free. If you have not taken the workshop, you can still take the evaluation but there is a fee of $85 to do so.

If you completed an NCCP course your credit for the course does not expire. If you never received credit for the course and you are sure you completed it, please make sure you know the name of the course, where you took it, when you took it and the name of your Learning Facilitator. Call us at (416) 426-7086 with that information and anything else you have regarding the course and we will do the rest.

As of 2006, the Levels no longer exist. Each sport has been working with their Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) Sport consultant to develop a pathway using the Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model from Sport For Life.

Some sports have completed their pathway and some are still working on it. If you are not sure what the equivalent of your old Level is, please check first with your PSO to see if they have updated pathway information on their website. You can also check the CAC website (coach.ca) on their sport specific training page.

If you are still unsure, please give us a call at (416) 426-7086.

This unique identifier is linked to your Coach Transcript in the online database called The Locker on the CAC website: thelocker.coach.ca

If you have ever taken an NCCP course, you have an NCCP#. Access your account at thelocker.coach.ca. If you have trouble access your account call Coach & Partner Services at 613-235-5000

If you have never taken and NCCP course, please check our Getting your NCCP # page for step-by-step instructions on how to get your NCCP #.

How to create an NCCP# to register for NCCP Courses

This form is currently closed for submissions.

Your Locker Transcript shows all the NCCP Training you have completed. It acts as your proof of completion/certificate.

Your coach transcript is in the online database on the Coaches Association of Canada (CAC) website thelocker.coach.ca

Your transcript shows you every NCCP course you’ve ever taken, and shows you the next steps in your coaching pathway, including what sport specific and multi-sport courses you may still need to obtain a given status (trained vs certified, for example).

If you need help reading your transcript, please call us at (416) 426-7086 or email education@coachesontario.ca and we’ll be happy to help.

For In-Class and Online multi sport courses, please check our NCCP Course Calendar. For sport specific courses, please visit your Provincial Sport Organization’s (PSO) site.

View all available courses in Ontario

The Home Study program is intended as a last resort option for coaches whose primary residence is within the Province of Ontario. If your Province does not offer the course you need through Home study, you may be allowed to take it through the CAO pending approval from your home Province. Many Provinces have a Home Study program so please check with yours before registering with CAO.

For a full list of Provincial and Territorial Coaching Representatives (P/TCRs), please click here: http://coach.ca/provincial-territorial-coaching-representatives-p140497 

If you have any other questions about the Home Study program please email homestudy@coachesontario.ca

Remote NCCP learning opportunities

Anyone 16 years of age and older can take an NCCP course. Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) is often most appropriate for a coach this age. We have a High School Kit available so that teachers can deliver the content in the classroom! To inquire, please contact Stuart McLaren at stuart@coachesontario.ca.

Professional Development

If you have Certified status in the Locker, you are required to accumulate Professional Development (PD) points to maintain your status. The number of points vary slightly but most sports require 20-30 points over a 4-5 year period. Here are some way to get points:

• NCCP training or evaluation events (eg an NCCP course or taking the Making Headway module in the Locker) are worth 5 points each;
• Non-NCCP events are worth 1 point for each hour they last, up to a maximum of 3 points;
• “Active coaching” will give you 1 point per year;
• Through “Self-directed learning” you can earn a maximum of 3 points per five-year PD cycle.

For more information about PD Points, including a full list of requirements by sport, please visit the CAC’s Maintenance of Certification FAQ Page: http://coach.ca/frequently-asked-questions-p156185

Please click the image below for a YouTube video, created by CAO Executive Director Jeremy Cross, on how you can self-report up to 8 PD points.

Funding and Events

We know course fees add up. Thanks to the Ontario Government Coaching Enhancement funding, if you are registering for a Competition Introduction or Competition Development NCCP course, multi-sport or sport specific, you may be. eligible. to receive up to 60% of the course fee (or 70% of the evaluation fee) back as a Coach Bursary.

For details on what sports are eligible or to apply, please visit our Coach Bursary page.

75-90% back on training and certification

Thanks for asking! We support coaches of every sport from across Ontario. In addition to delivering NCCP Multi-Sport modules and administering coach enhancement funding, we have several other programs and events to support coaches. Some of our most well-known are:

  • Ontario Coaches Conference – which brings together coaches and sport leaders across the province for a 3 day professional development weekend
  • National Coaches Week – a week long celebration of coaches which includes a social media campaign to say #ThanksCoach and offers free community NCCP courses
  • Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards – an annual ceremony to recognize outstanding coaches in several categories including Grassroots, Good-to-Great, High School Sport and Aboriginal
  • Changing the Game-Changing the Conversation – our mentorship program which pairs Apprentice and Mentor coaches to recruit and promote Women in Coaching across Ontario

For more information about any of these events or our other work, please give us a call at (416) 426-7086 or email events@coachesontario.ca.