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February 2022
Academic Review Board: A body set up by the Convention Member to review concerns of fairness and equity and to consider appeals on course level decisions of Coach Developers (including assessments) made by student-coaches.
Coach Education Panel Member: A member of the Concacaf Coach Education Panel, which is responsible for establishing, implementing, and monitoring the Concacaf Coaching Convention across the Confederation’s Member Associations.
Coach Developer: An experienced, knowledgeable, and highly skilled football coach who is also trained in adult education and can educate student coaches according to the standards established by the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Concacaf Coaching Convention: An agreement between Concacaf and its Member Associations which serves as a regulatory framework intended to standardize and raise the quality of coach education programs across the Concacaf region and its Member Associations.
Concacaf: The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.
Concacaf Coaching Course: A coaching course delivered by a Convention Member which has been fully certified under the terms and conditions of the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Concacaf Coaching Diploma: An award granted to someone who has successfully completed a Concacaf Coaching Course.
Concacaf Coaching Licence: A permit authorizing a person to coach within the Concacaf jurisdiction.
Continuous Professional Development Course: A course designed to assist coaches or coach developers to develop their personal and professional abilities, and to improve their knowledge, skills, and practice in football coaching
Convention Member: A Member Association that has signed the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Equivalent Qualification: A recognition, granted within Concacaf, of competence possessed by a coach who has been trained by a non-convention member or an independent course provider.
Evaluator: A specialist in coach education appointed by Concacaf to conduct an audit for the purpose of evaluating or re-evaluating a Member Association’s domestic coach education program to verify whether it meets the standards as set out in the Convention.
Head of Coach Education: An experienced coach developerwho is in charge of defining and leading a Convention Member’s coach education program.
Independent Course Provider (ICP): An organization providing access to coach education courses within the Concacaf region but that is not a Member Association.
Member Association: A national football association granted membership by Concacaf.
Minimum Standards: The minimum conditions as set out by the Convention for the delivery of Concacaf Coaching courses.
Mutual Recognition: The recognition of coaching diplomas among Convention Members.
Non-Convention Member: A Member Association affiliated to Concacaf but is not a signatory of the Convention; or a FIFA Member Association that is not affiliated to Concacaf.
Recognition of Qualifications: An assessment process that enables coaches to gain formal qualifications for the skills and knowledge they possess. This assessment includes the matching of evidence provided by the coach with the outcomes of the level diploma.
Student Coach: A learner enrolled/attending a Concacaf Coaching Diploma course coordinated by a Convention Member in accordance with the stipulations of the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Syllabus of Minimum Content: The minimum required content for each level course as established by the coach education panel
under this Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Technical Director: The person in charge of defining and leading the national technical development programs.
Registration: the process of becoming a member in good standing within the Canada Soccer system. To be named as a Coach in any match or competition under the jurisdiction of Canada Soccer either directly or indirectly, an individual must be registered in accordance with the Canada Soccer Rules and Regulations through the Member Association within the area in which the Coach resides. Beginning in 2023, registration will also confirm that an individual has fulfilled all aspects of the Safe Sport Roster (SSR), which will become a requirement of all coaches.
Suspension or Removal of Registration: Canada Soccer or the Member Association within the area in which the Coach resides has the authority to suspend or remove a coach’s registration as per the Regulations for the Registration and Control of Coaches, Section 21 of the Canada Soccer Rules and Regulations. Individuals who have had their registration suspended or removed are not permitted to coach in any competition or training environment under the jurisdiction of Canada Soccer.
Context: a competition or training environment with defined coaching requirements, which align coaching activities with specific types of participants and the stage of their respective development.
In-Training: the coach has completed some, but not all the courses/workshops or components of a course/workshop.
Trained: the coach has completed all the courses/workshops required to coach in a particular context. Under the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), coaches must complete the Make Ethical Decisions Online Evaluation to be considered trained. A trained coach has not been evaluated to confirm competency.
Certified: the coach has completed all the courses/workshops required to coach in a context or multiple contexts and has been evaluated and confirmed as competent to coach in a specific context.
Certificate: what a coach receives after completing the Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learn to Train and/or Soccer for Life Online Course(s) and On-Field Practical Workshop(s).
Diploma: what a coach receives after completing the Advanced Coach Education Program (ACEP) C, B, A, Children’s, and/or Goalkeeping Workshop. This coach has been evaluated and has shown evidence of competence in a specific context.
Licence: upon successful completion of an ACEP workshop, a coach receives a licence (valid for 3 years), that permits the coach to register in the context relevant to the licence. For example, an individual who has successfully completed a B Licence Diploma Workshop is granted the ability to register as a B Licence coach for a period of 3-years. A Licence, on its own, does not grant an individual permission to coach unless they are registered.
Licence Validity: A Coaching Licence is valid for a period of 3-years from the time of issue. The coach must participate in ongoing professional development to maintain and renew the Licence. A Coaching Licence that is expired is not considered to be valid and cannot be used as evidence of competence or confirmation of appropriate certification for the purposes of registration.
Invalidation of Licence: While the completion of an ACEP Diploma Workshop cannot be nullified, a Coaching Licence can be invalidated by Canada Soccer prior to expiry if an individual fails to maintain the conditions of issue. A Coaching Licence that has been invalidated cannot be used as proof of certification for the purposes of coaching in a competition or environment that requires that level of Licence or for the purposes of registration.
Safe Sport Roster (SSR): the roster of items a coach must complete to register and receive a licence to coach within the jurisdiction of Canada Soccer beginning at the start of the season 2023. The SSR consists of Coach Education training at the age/stage of participants coached (i.e. Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learn to Train, Soccer for Life or the age and competition appropriate Advanced Coach Education Workshop), NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Online Evaluation, NCCP Making Headway in Soccer, NCCP Emergency Action Plan, Understanding the Rule of Two，Respect in Sport Activity Leader, Background Screening (i.e., e-PIC, Criminal Record Check, reference checks, etc.) in addition to adhering to the Canada Soccer Code of Ethics and NCCP Responsible Coaching Movement. All aspects of the SSR must be completed and adhered to for a coach be registered and receive a coaching licence beginning in at the start of the season 2023.
For more information on Coaching Registration and Licence, Training, and Diplomas, click here.
