National Team Program players to complete unique Canada Soccer C/B Licence Program
Canada Soccer has announced an innovative program to support the coach education of 15 of its current and former National Team Program players with a unique, online and combined Canada Soccer C/B Licence opportunity. The players will be supported in an eLearning environment to complete the coursework over the next 18 months before being granted their Canada Soccer B Licence.
The program aims to provide a flexible digital learning environment for the players to progress through en route to receiving Canada Soccer’s B Licence. In addition to completing the online course, elements of the Canada Soccer C Licence will be introduced to provide these players with an opportunity to continue their soccer journey once they move on from the pitch.
“The importance of providing our National Team athletes with a program to facilitate their coach education journeys is something that I would have welcomed with open arms as my National Team career drew to a close,” said Jason deVos, Canada Soccer’s Director of Development. “National Team players have a unique sense of how the game is played at the highest level and knowledge of the skills, mindset, and physical preparation required to compete at the international level. The training they’ll receive on this course will provide them with the developmental-appropriate techniques and tools to impart that wisdom to the next generation of Canadian players.”
The course will include current members of the Men’s and Women’s National Team Programs, as well as players that have experience representing Canada at various levels of international competition such as Kyle Bekker, Allysha Chapman, David Edgar, Stephanie Labbe, Erin McLeod, Sophie Schmidt and Desiree Scott.
“I am thankful to Canada Soccer for the exciting opportunity to complete this unique course at this point in my career so that this group of passionate National Team players both past and present will be able to have an impact on the next generation of players by benefitting from Canada Soccer’s Coach Education Program,” Scott said. “For me, the opportunity to give back to the game as a coach has always been core to the legacy that I wish to leave behind once my playing days are over.”
The program is one of 25 coach education licence courses that Canada Soccer has running online-only in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the suspension of sanctioned soccer in March 2020. While much on-field programming has resumed, Canada Soccer in partnership with its Member Associations, moved all coach education online and provided to its 13 Provincial and Territorial Members online classroom environments to facilitate the Community Stream coaching courses from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
Canada Soccer Coach Education National Teams Program C/B Licence Participants: