Athletics Canada – Coach Certification Process – May 2017
Performance Coach Certification: a step-bystep guide
The Performance Coach Certification is the third of five contexts in Athletics
Canada’s coach development pathway. It is designed for coaches that work with
athletes in the “Train to Compete” and “Learn to Win” stages and is the minimum
certified status required to work with our national teams.
This document provides coaches that aspire to, or are working with the abovementioned athletes, a step-by-step process of how to acquire the competencies
needed to be successful. Performance Coach is the first of two certifications in the
NCCP Competition Development stream and the foundation of high performance
coaching in Canada.
The Performance Coach course is offered twice a year. The limited offering will
allow for a critical mass of coaches to come together and complement the various
contexts offered. The Fall offering of the course will be domestic and a Spring
offering will be done in conjunction with an Athletics Canada camp. The later will
enable coaches to put in practice some of the new competencies learned.
It is important to note that the registration deadline for each course will be
three months prior to the four-day in-class portion of the course, allowing for the preclinic modules to be completed before travelling to the course. This three-month
period will see the registrants complete an average of two modules per month to be
done in time.
Step 1: Identify/confirm that you meet the prerequisites for Performance Coach



Currently possess the competencies covered by the Sport and Club Coach
contexts
Working with athletes in the “Train to Compete” and “Learn to Win” stages of
LTAD
Are willing to coach year round
Athletics Canada – Coach Certification Process – May 2017
Step 2: Understand the timelines involved in the process and be prepared to
complete a minimum of the first step






Registration deadline is three months prior to the in-class four-day course
The pre-clinic modules and tasks represent 20-30 hours of work.
For most, the clinic will require travel one or two days to the four day course
It is recommended that a coach spend a minimum of six months applying what
he has learned from the course before registering for the evaluation.
In addition to the Athletics Canada sport specific course, there are an
additional six Multi-Sport courses required for an additional 30 hours of class
time. These modules can be done at any time, it is also recommended they be
completed prior to registering for your Performance Coach evaluation.
The Performance Coach Evaluation is comprised of a Portfolio, Practice
Observation and Competition Evaluation that must be done at a National
Championship or an equivalent event.
Step 3: Sign up for an account on the Athletics Canada (AC) coach portal
Once you have both your AC and CC numbers, you are ready to create your free
account in the Athletics Canada – Coaching Portal. Click on the following link
https://athletics.ca/coach/ to return to the portal and register for your account.
Upon saving your information, you are free to explore the site.
Step 4: Register for Performance Coach Course in the AC portal
After signing in, click on the “CLINIC” tab at the top of the page and proceed
to find the Performance Coach Course you would like to take (there will usually be
two option to register; one Fall and one Spring). Once you have registered and paid
for the course, you will be sent a confirmation that will include a link and password to
the site were we launch our pre-course modules.
Step 5: Take the six pre-course modules (you will have three months to complete)
Use the link and password provided in your registration confirmation access to
the pre-course modules. Follow the recommended order to complete the modules.
Each module will have a video component followed by a mini quiz, task and
sometimes both.
Athletics Canada – Coach Certification Process – May 2017
Step 6: Attend the four-day course
The completion of all pre-course modules will trigger a response indicating you
are ready to attend the four-day workshop. If a candidate does not complete all the
pre-course modules by the deadline, they will receive an e-mail indicating they have
not completed the tasks in time for the current Performance coach course. They will
be given the option of attending the next course.


It is important to note that the next course offered could be on the opposite
side of the country and have extra cost associated with it.
a. Spring courses are at training camps – will have extra costs
b. Fall courses will be at a hub or major Canadian training Centre
If a candidate misses a camp opportunity, there will be no reimbursement of
the extra fees associated with the camp.
Step 7: Coach and apply the learned competencies
In preparation for the evaluation component of the certification, AC
recommends that a coach put into practice what they have learned while building
their portfolio. After six months, a coach should be better prepared to complete the
evaluation in a relatively short period. Registering for evaluation immediately
following the course usually results in a long drawn out process.
Step 8: Complete the NCCP Multi-Sport (MS)
Supplementary to the sport specific training, six multi-sport modules will round
out your training. While they can be taken at any time, they are required for a coach
to receive their “TRAINED” status. AC recommends that they be completed before
registering for the evaluation process.
These modules, offered through your provincial coaching association, are
offered multiple time a year. If you cannot find a course, contact your provincial
athletic association and they can set up an NCCP weekend in your area.






Making Ethical Decision (MED) – 3.5hrs
Managing Conflict – 4.5hrs
Leading Drug Free Sport – 3.5hrs
Coaching and Leading Effectively – 8.75hrs
Psychology of Performance – 7.0hrs
Manage a Sport Program – 4.0hrs
For more information visit http://www.coach.ca/multi-sport-training-s15501.
Athletics Canada – Coach Certification Process – May 2017
Step 9: Complete the NCCP Multi-Sport (MS) Evaluations
Three of the MS courses have an online evaluation component. They can be
accessed via your NCCP Locker. After completing the course the Locker will recognize
you credit and the evaluation will be free.
If you would like to go directly to evaluation, you can choose to pay the fee to
take the online evaluation. If you are unsuccessful in your evaluation, you will be
required to take the course before attempting the evaluation again.



Making Ethical Decision (MED) – Online Evaluation
Leading Drug Free Sport – Online Evaluation
Managing Conflict – Online Evaluation
Step 10: Register for the event specific Performance Coach Evaluation on the AC
portal
The evaluations can be accessed in the AC Portal by following the link following
https://athletics.ca/coach/ and clicking on the status tab at the top of your screen.
If you would like a step-by-step guide to register for an evaluation, here is a link that
will help http://athletics.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Guidelines-Evaluationprocess-for-website3-eng.pdf .
*** A coach may choose to go ‘directly to evaluation’ for the Performance Coach
context. This is not a recommended process and comes with an increased cost. If a
coach is not successful, he/she will be required to complete the course before
requesting another evaluation.
Step 11: Final approval for certification
After the evaluator credits the coach with certification, the PSO or NSO
overseeing the context, will approve the evaluation and the event will be uploaded
directly to The Locker to be added to the coach’s portfolio.
For any questions of feedback, please send an e-mail to [email protected].