Sport Canada funding requirements for coaching and technical leadership salaries

Eligible expenses related to employing or contracting national team coaches and technical leadership (high-performance directors or the equivalent), and their professional development include base salaries (including statutory deductions and benefits), contracts or honoraria, as well as professional development.

Restrictions and conditions

• The Sport Support Program (SSP) contribution for each coaching position is limited to $115,000 full-time equivalent salary;
• Coaches and high-performance directors (or equivalent) that have been recommended by Own the Podium (OTP) are eligible for a maximum SSP contribution of $150,000 full-time equivalent salary; and
• Each coach and technical leader must meet the funding requirements described below and be named on the Coaching and Technical Leadership form and on OTP’s coaches and technical leaders list. The provision of this information will be a condition for the first payment.

Funding requirements for technical leaders

To be eligible for funding support, technical leaders must have:

• signed the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) Informed Consent Form;
• completed the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Safe Sport Training Module; and,
• completed the NCCP Make Ethical Decisions (MED) training.

Funding requirements for coaches

To be eligible for funding support, coaches must have:

• signed the UCCMS Informed Consent Form;
• completed the NCCP Safe Sport Training Module;
• completed the NCCP MED training;
• submitted to the National Sport Organization (NSO) an Enhanced Police Information Center (E-PIC) check, Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS), Vulnerable Sector Verification (VSV), Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC), or equivalent; and
• be certified within the NCCP Competition — Development context, or higher.

Note: international coaches must complete the NCCP Coaching in Canada module.

For coaches who do not meet the minimum SSP requirements, the NSO may apply for an exemption or a conditional approval.

Two types of exemptions

• Should a sport not have its NCCP Competition — Development context developed, the coach must have the highest NCCP context offered by the sport and the coach’s learning plan must be approved in advance by Sport Canada officials.
• For internationally based coaches who are the personal or club coaches of Canadian athletes, the coach must complete the minimum requirements mentioned above and have their coaching education reviewed by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) to ensure it meets the standards of Competition — Development Certified. If the CAC deems that there is a significant component missing, a learning plan for the coach will be recommended.

Conditional approval

Coaches who do not meet the certification or exemption requirements may still be nominated for funding but are subject to conditional approval by Sport Canada officials. Conditional approvals are granted for one fiscal year only and the coach must demonstrate progress towards becoming NCCP Competition – Development Certified.

To apply for conditional approval the NSO must submit a learning plan outlining how the coach will become Competition Development – Certified. The NSO is also required to demonstrate that the coach meets at least one of the following criteria:

• registration for NCCP Competition – Development training with a progression plan;
• designation of Chartered Professional Coach from the CAC;
• commensurate education equivalent to a Master's degree in coaching from a Canadian university. A copy of transcripts and diploma must be enclosed; or,
• demonstrated performances coaching an athlete or team to international success (top 8 and/or top half) at senior world championships, Olympic Games or Paralympic Games (performance record with a list of web links to official competition results).

Requests for exemptions or conditional approval must be presented at the same time as the Coaching and Technical Leadership form with the coach’s training program. Sport Canada will advise the NSO of the result of any requests via a notification letter.