Grassroots Coach Education Program

Canada Soccer’s Grassroots Coach Education Program has four workshops based on Stages 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the Long-Term Player Development Model. The first three workshops, Active Start, FUNdamentals and Learn to Train, deal with soccer training and the importance of physical literacy for players up to 12 years of age. The fourth workshop is called Soccer for Life and focuses on working with players age 13 and older through to “masters soccer”. The Soccer for Life stage includes a wide array of participants who play for fun and fitness, those who enjoy recreational soccer, as well as those who prefer to play competitively but not at a high-performance level. 

Coaches wishing to gain training through the Grassroots Coach Education Program would do so in the following manner: 

Active Start Workshop

Designed for coaches of U4 to U6 players and consists of completing 1.5 hours of online training followed by a 2-hour Practical On-Field Workshop. No pre-requisites required. 

FUNdamentals Workshop

Designed for coaches of Boys U6-U9 and Girls U6-U8. It consists of completing 1.5 hours of online training followed by a 3-hour Practical On-Field Workshop. Coaches are also expected to complete the NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Workshop and/or Online Evaluation, NCCP Making Headway Concussion Awareness Online Workshop, NCCP Emergency Action Plan Online Workshop, NCCP Understanding the Rule of Two Online Workshop, and Respect in Sport Activity Leader Course. No pre-requisites required.

Learn to Train Workshop

Designed for coaches of Boys U9-U12 and Girls U8-U11. It consists of completing 2 hours of online training followed by a 4-hour Practical On-Field Workshop. Coaches are also expected to complete the NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Workshop and/or Online Evaluation, NCCP Making Headway Concussion Awareness Online Workshop, NCCP Emergency Action Plan Online Workshop, NCCP Understanding the Rule of Two Online Workshop, and Respect in Sport Activity Leader Course. No pre-requisites required.

Soccer for Life Workshop

Designed for coaches of Boys U13+ and Girls U12+. It consists of completing 2 hours of online training followed by a 4-hour Practical On-Field Workshop. Coaches are also expected to complete the NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Workshop and/or Online Evaluation, NCCP Making Headway Concussion Awareness Online Workshop, NCCP Emergency Action Plan Online Workshop, NCCP Understanding the Rule of Two Online Workshop, and Respect in Sport Activity Leader Course. No pre-requisites required.

Note: there is no evaluation in the Grassroots Coach Education Program. Coaches completing all of the expectations noted above will be classified as Trained Coaches.