NCCP PREAMBLE
What is the NCCP?
The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is a coach training and certification program for 65 different sports and is offered in both official languages across Canada. NCCP workshops are designed to meet the needs of all types of coaches, from the first-time coach to the head coach of a national team. The NCCP is THE recognized national standard for coach training and certification in Canada. As part of the program, all coaches are trained in ethical decision-making and sport safety.
Since 1997, the emphasis of the NCCP has been on developing competent coaches – an exciting step towards helping them to become more effective and have a more meaningful impact on an athlete’s experience. Each year, more than 50,000 coaches take an NCCP workshop and since it began, more than 1 million coaches have participated in the program, making it one of Canada’s largest adult education programs.
Why the Change?
Football Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development Model is the basis for its NCCP, because it places the participant/athlete first and the coach is at the centre of the athlete’s development. The Football Canada NCCP is being designed to develop the coach’s knowledge, skills and attitudes (behaviour) appropriate to his or her athletes’ stage of development.
While continuing to equip coaches with the tools they need to become successful community leaders, the program itself has undergone a number of changes in recent years. Among these important changes in the “New” NCCP is the shift in emphasis from “what a coach knows” to “what a coach can do”. This transformation to a competency/outcomesbased approach is a key factor in the re-development of the program.
THE NEW NCCP MODEL (COMPETENCY-BASED MODEL)
The new NCCP is made up of three streams and a total of eight contexts, each with its own coaching requirements. Football Canada has decided that all eight contexts are relevant to the development of football and essential to the meeting the “Football for Life - through Long Term Athlete Development” goals of Enhanced Excellence and Enhanced Participation.
The Three Streams of the NCCP are:
Stream 1 – Community Sport
The Community Sport Stream has a decidedly recreation focus. In the Initiation (or Novice) context the development of fundamental movement and Fundamental Football Skills are essential where fun, fitness, and participation are the focus at the younger ages. Typically coaches in this context become involvled on a voluntary (and often short-term) basis.
In the On-going context fun, fitness, and participation are key elements and in many cases competitive recreation is the focus.
Stream 2 – Competition
The Competition Stream has three (3) contexts – Competition-Introduction, Competition-Development, and High Performance. The focus of athlete development in these contexts is "Excellence".
The coaches in these contexts tend to work with athletes over the long term to improve performance, often in preparation for provincial, national, and international competitions.
Additionally, Coaches in the Competition stream usually have previous coaching experience or are former athletes in the sport.
Stream 3 – Instruction
The focus of the Instruction Stream is supporting the athlete in training through the sport specific skill development. Coaches in the Instructor Stream must have sport-specific skills and training, whether coaching at the Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced skill levels. Many of the coaches in the Instructor Stream are former participants in the sport.
For more info about Football Canada's NCCP, please contact Josh Sacobie at development@footballcanada.com or by phone at 613-564-0003 ext: 227