Apr 13

Written by: Ontario PWSA
Friday, April 13, 2012 7:56 PM 

Toronto, ON - Softball Ontario is pleased to announce its partnership with Halton Hawks Girls Fast Pitch Association in hosting a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) clinic for Softball Coaches ~ Competition-Introduction, Softball - What to Coach April 21 & 22/2012 and How to Coach - April 28 & 29/2012 in Georgetown, ON.

The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is a coach training and certification program for 66 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.  Softball Ontario is the provider of the NCCP Program for the sport of Softball in the Province of Ontario.

The requirements for Competition-Introduction, Softball - 40 hours total (2 weekend clinics + On Field Evaluation) include:

The goals of this course are to promote fun, fitness, fundamentals and performance among the beginning and intermediate coaches who are either coaching youths and/or adults.

What to Coach – 16 hours (1st Weekend) *Trained- which is the requirement for Provincials and Nationals
How to Coach - 16 hours (2nd Weekend) *Trained - which is the requirement for Provincials and Nationals
On-Field Evaluation – 2 hours (3rd Weekend) *Certified

This course replaces the Level 1 and Level 2 Technical/Practical and Theory courses of the old knowledge based program. An evaluation is required to become certified.

If your team is participating in a U14 (Novice/Pee Wee) and above Provincial Championship this season for PWSA or OASA or a Softball Canada Canadian Championship, the requirements for your coaches are as follows:

PWSA- All participating teams must have at least one (1) registered Coach with NCCP Softball Certification as follows:

• U12 (Squirt)- Level 1 Certified or Competition-Introduction, Softball What to Coach (1^st weekend)
• All other Divisions- Level 2 Certified or Competition-Introduction, Softball- What to Coach (1^st Weekend); How to Coach (2^nd weekend) and the On-Line Make Ethical Decisions Test-Completed -Trained

 
OASA-Requires coaches to hold the following (new) NCCP coaching certification qualifications:

•  U14, U16, U19  (Peewee, Bantam, Midget) - Competition-Introduction, Softball-Trained
• All coaches who currently hold NCCP certification are considered fully certified for OASA tournaments.  New coaches without certification are encouraged to get their certification.

ORSA- Requires coaches who are participating in the 2012 Ontario Summer Games to be Competition-Introduction, Softball trained.

Softball Ontario is pleased to share an exciting opportunity for Softball Coaches to have their Coach Education funded by the Quest for Gold (Q4G) Enhanced Coaching Program.  The Quest for Gold Enhanced Coaching Program recognizes coaches have out-of-pocket expenses for many things.  Coaches who wish to continue their training and education, or increase their knowledge and certification, can directly benefit from this bursary program.

The Quest for Gold program provides an education bursary for higher levels of professional development and training.  Up to 75% of course registration fees will be reimbursed for Ontario resident coaches who pass and complete coursework.

Q4G Bursaries can be applied by softball Coaches in any of the following:

• National Coaching Certification Program- Competition-Introduction, Softball
• National Coaching Certification Program- Level 3 Theory (Multi-sport)
• National Coaching Certification Program- Level 3 Technical Softball
• National Coaching Certification Program- Competition-Development (Multi-Sport)
• National Coaching Institute-National Coaching Certification Program Level 4 and Level 5)
• Enhanced Coaching Level (3/4/5)

Please note that there are different pre-requisites and application for NCCP courses, the NCI and the Enhanced Coaching. 

The Quest for Gold program provides an education bursary for coaches to complete eligible NCCP training. Up to a maximum of $500 per application will be available to cover up to 70% of course registration fees and travel subsidy combined. A travel subsidy up to a maximum of $200 is available for coaches travelling more than 100km each way to attend NCCP training.

The total allocation for Coach Bursaries for April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 is $150,000. To qualify for this funding opportunity, the NCCP clinic you attend must fall between these dates.  Applications for course preceding these dates will not be considered.

For more information about each of the above programs or to download the bursary applications, travel subsidy, please visit the Coaching Association of Ontario website at www.coachesontario.ca.

There are only 6 spots left!  So register today!

To register for What to Coach and How to Coach contact Cindy Bodrug, President Halton Hawks Girls Fast Pitch Association at sbodrug@cogeco.ca.

For more information about Softball Ontario’s Coaches Program and the NCCP Program, please contact Steph Sutton at 416-426-7150 or ssutton@softballontario.ca.

Softball Ontario is the governing body for the sport of softball in Ontario. Our goal is to promote and develop the sport of softball for its athletes, officials and volunteers by providing programs and services at all levels of competitions.