The ChPC is the professional designation for sport coaches in Canada. While some coaches are paid and may work full time, any coach can aspire to be a professional coach.
A professional coach:
- Is trained to deliver expert and safe coaching, which benefits everyone
- Has learned the shared body of coaching knowledge
- Follows ethical standards
- Is accountable to stakeholder expectations (sports organization and community)
Chartered Professional Coaches may be paid or volunteer, but they always meet the four tests of a professional:
- They serve a higher purpose by creating a safe and inclusive environment for participants to pursue mental and physical health and well-being.
- They have a shared body of knowledge gained through the National Coaching Certification Program, including sport-specific technical and tactical skills, safety, ethics, development, psychology, and inclusiveness.
- They follow the higher ethical standards required for positions of authority through a regular ethical conduct declaration.
- They are accountable to stakeholders (sports organizations and the community) as being knowledgeable, safe, and respectful, both on and off the field of play.
The ChPC designation tells employers, athletes, and parents that you have the knowledge, experience, and ethical standards to coach in a professional manner in an NCCP stream or context. Chartered Professional Coaches benefit the organizations that employ them, the parents who trust them, and the participants who learn from them.
Being a ChPC:
- Positions you as a committed professional
- Shows your commitment to a higher standard of excellence
- Allows you to coach at major international games
- Connects you with other professional coaches
- Demonstrates to students and the community that you are a trusted and reliable mentor
- Differentiates your program in the eyes of potential customers
- Helps you land coaching positions more quickly
- Improves your ability to transition between roles at all levels
- Grants you the right to use the ChPC designation after your name
Serve a Higher Purpose
A higher purpose means for the benefit of society. ChPCs benefit coaching in the expert and safe delivery of coaching services in a way that promotes the mental and physical health and well-being of all participants. This commitment ensures coaches make a safe and inclusive sport environment for all.
Build a Body of Knowledge
Competence in coaching requires both sport-specific and multi-sport skills.
Sport-specific skills include:
- Technical skills (e.g., how to pass or shoot); and
- Tactical skills (e.g., how to execute a play).
Multi-sport skills include:
- NCCP Make Ethical Decisions
- NCCP Designing a Basic Sport Program
- NCCP Developing Athletic Abilities
- NCCP Psychology of Performance
- Safety (e.g., child protection, concussion safety, and first aid)
- NCCP Emergency Action Planning
- Supporting player health and well-being
- Inclusiveness and Diversity (e.g., fostering participation of women, indigenous, LGBTQ2S and gender diverse athletes and participants).
Coaches can gain the knowledge they need through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). A coach requires the NCCP certification to meet the knowledge eligibility requirement of the Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC) designation.
Follow Ethical Standards
Because coaches are in a position of authority, coaches should follow even higher ethical standards than non-coaches. To bring these standards to life, the CAC requires ChPCs and Registered Coaches to:
- Commit annually to a Code of Conduct that guides the behaviours and the ethical obligations of coaches
- Declare annually their ethical conduct
- Complete an Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC) every 3 years
- Provide two coaching-related references who vouch for their ethical conduct
Stay Accountable to Stakeholder Expectations
Coaches must meet the public's and their sport organization’s expectation that they coach in a way that is knowledgeable, safe and respectful, both on and off the field of play. The CAC promotes coach accountability. Every ChPC-designated coach must embrace that accountability.
