Coaches

A coach is one of the most influential people in a young person’s life. Coaches don’t just teach how to hit a ball or block a spike but how to win and lose graciously. The athletic skills young people learn from coaches may only apply for a few years, but the attitudes they develop toward themselves and others will last a lifetime.

As a role model, the coach is a teacher, leader, organizer and counselor.

Volleyball Alberta Coaching Requirements

In an effort to provide the best opportunity for athletes to have a positive, safe and rewarding volleyball experience, Volleyball Alberta has developed a coach certification policy for all Premier Tournaments and Provincial Championships in alignment with Volleyball Canada. Specific requirement timelines for all rostered coaches and staff can be found on the Coach & Team Eligibility Timeframe.

All Rostered Leaders (Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Managers, Trainers) are required to complete the Person In Authority (PIA) Requirements. For all leaders this season, Person In Authority (PIA) Requirements will be reviewed at the time of registration. To learn more about PIA Requirements click below.


Head Coaches for 13U-18U teams will need additional Mandatory Head Coach Requirements.
There are two parts to the Mandatory Head Coach Requirements.

For more in depth and additional information on Mandatory Head Coach Requirements and NCCP Certifications please see below.
We are excited to see the growth in both the athletes and coaches this upcoming club season. See you on the court!

For Coach Development questions, contact: Mike Ling, Manager, Coaching & Early Stages coaching@volleyballalberta.ca

Part 1 – Mandatory Head Coach Education Checklist (13U-18U)

Head coaches are required to complete additional steps:

1) Making Head Way in Sport (MHS) eLearning
2) Making Ethical Decisions (MED) Online Evaluation
3) Foundations of Volleyball (FOV) eLearning

Head Coach Education requirements must be completed by the ROSTER LOCK DEADLINE of Premier #2 (for your respective age classes), specified below and on the Coach & Team Eligibility Timeframe.  By not completing the Head Coach Checklist, coaches may be subject to a fine ($150) *refer to: “Volleyball Alberta Sanctions/Fines/Late Fees ‐ Indoor Season ‐ 2024

Age Class
Premier #2 Roster Lock Deadline
13U Girls
(F) 28 March 2024
13U Boys
(F) 28 March 2024
14U Girls
(F) 23 February 2024
14U Boys
(F) 1 March 2024
15U Girls
(F) 8 March 2024
15U Boys
(F) 23 February 2024
16U Girls
(F) 1 March 2024
16U Boys
(F) 8 March 2024
17U Girls
(F) 23 February 2024
17U Boys
(F) 1 March 2024
18U Girls
(F) 8 March 2024
18U Boys
(F) 1 March 2024

**Important**  What you see in the Locker under “Certifications” is what we see in the Locker. The Locker can be utilized and considered by coaches as their Coach Transcript.

MHS is completed in The Locker.

The MED requirement is unique, Volleyball Alberta only requires the Online Evaluation to be completed in The Locker. Calendar
Frequently Asked Questions

Register for the FOV in the Volleyball Canada Coaching Centre NOT The Locker.


Part 2 – Mandatory Head Coach NCCP Certification (14U-18U)

Head coaches starting at the 14U age class must have a further level of training. The amount of training required will be reflective of a head coach’s circumstances, such as the number of years coaching in an age class category.

The NCCP training required of the head coach will need to be completed prior to March 30, and will be viewed by Volleyball Alberta staff prior to provincials specified on the Coach & Team Eligibility Requirements Timeframe.

Examples:

Example 1:
Example 2:
Example 3:
I coached 14U last season as a Head Coach, this year I am coaching 16U.
I coached 12U last season as Assistant Coach, this season I am head coach in the 15U age class
I coached 17U for 2 years as a head coach. I haven’t coached for 3 years. this season I will be Head Coach of another 17U team
Answer: 2nd year coach at the DEV.COACH level = Must have completed the DEV.COACH Workshop in their 1st season
Answer: 1st year coach in the DEV.COACH level = Must complete the DEV.COACH Workshop this season
Answer: 3rd year coach in the ADV.DEV.COACH level = Must have completed the ADV.DEV Workshop in their 1st year, entering their 3rd year as HC. ADV.DEV Certification required

Additional Information – NCCP Certification Requirements

All Head Coaches (14U-18U) listed on any Provincials roster must meet the requirements below for the age category that they are coaching.

Upcoming Courses and Workshops : Development Coach, Advanced Development Coach

DEADLINE: March 30 (annually)

SANCTIONS: Head Coaches who do not meet the requirements outlined below will be subject to the Volleyball Canada $250 fine, payable prior to participation in that year’s Provincials/Nationals.

For teams not attending VC Nationals, Head Coaches who do not meet the requirements outlined below, will be fined $250, payable prior to participation in that year’s Provincials.

NCCP Certification Table
14U/15U/16U
In addition to complete the Mandatory Requirements, all coaches participating as a Head Coach at a 14U/15U/16U Provincials for the first time are required to have successfully completed the DEVELOPMENT COACH WORKSHOP. In addition to complete the Mandatory Requirements, all coaches participating as a Head Coach at a 14U/15U/16U Provincials for the 3rd time or more are required to have CERTIFIED DEVELOPMENT COACH status.
17U/18U
In addition to complete the Mandatory Requirements, all coaches participating as a Head Coach at a 17U/18U Provincials for the first time are required to have successfully completed an ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT COACH (INDOOR) WORKSHOP. In addition to complete the Mandatory Requirements, all coaches participating as a Head Coach at a 17U/18U Provincials for the 3rd time or more are required to have CERTIFIED ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT COACH status.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Head Coaches who have achieved Certified status in their appropriate context are still required to complete the mandatory requirements in Section A (above) and maintain Active status in the NCCP Locker. Coaches with an ‘Inactive’ status are not eligible. Please refer to Volleyball Canada’s NCCP Certification Maintenance Guide on how to remain Active.

A coach that has moved from 14U-15U-16U into 17U-18U age group must have the appropriate requirements for the 17U-18U category. A coach who has the requirements for 17U-18U, is eligible for 14U-15U-16U, however is encouraged to obtain education for the appropriate context.

Volleyball Canada Youth National Championships Coach Eligibility Requirements


National Coaching Certification Program

The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) has been regarded as one of the top coaching education programs in the world but after an extensive review, several modifications have been suggested. Most prominent of these is to ensure that the program is not strictly knowledge based but has a substantial practical component. The main objective for the program is to produce competent coaches rather than simply knowledgeable coaches. As a result, the Coaching Association of Canada adopted a coaching assessment and evaluation process approach for the redevelopment of the certification program. Coaches will be assessed and evaluated on their knowledge at each level.

The primary goal of the NCCP program is to focus on the holistic development of coaches that reflect the needs of the participants and demands of the sport’s context. More specifically, the philosophy of the NCCP program is to offer quality training to develop competent coaches that can be defined as being able to answer to the needs of the participants within a specific context and intervene effectively within the boundaries of an ethical framework of practice. The emphasis is not on what you “the coach” know but what you can do with what you know. The content of the course focuses on 4 essential generic coaching competencies such as problem solving, intervention, values and critical thinking. In developing these competencies, coaches are trained in all aspects of coaching (i.e. human, technical, practical and strategic) that are relevant to all types of coaches and coaching contexts. This will also provide on-going self-development

Levels of Certification

The four (4) levels of certification are the following:

How Do I Get Certified?

Volleyball Alberta conducts Workshops several times a year and oversees the Evaluation component of the NCCP program. The Multisport modules are run by Alberta Sport Connection – they offer courses in all regions of the province throughout the year.


Maintenance of Certification

Volleyball Alberta and Volleyball Canada will follow the Coaching Association of Canada’s (CAC) NCCP Professional Development policy and procedures.  Coaches will now receive credit within the Locker database for approved professional development experiences.  In order to maintain certification coaches will need to accrue a specific amount of points over a period of 5 years.  Please review the CAC’s FAQ for all the details.

The CAC recognizes coaches who are actively coaching with one Professional Development point a year toward their maintenance of certification.  Declaring that you are actively coaching is easy.  Click here to log in to The Locker, go to your transcript and click the “self-report” whistle icon on the left side of the screen to “Record Active Status”. Don’t forget to come back next year and declare again!

For a summary of how professional development points will be allotted, please see below.

 Activity CategoryPointsLimitations
Sport SpecificActive coaching1 point/year for every season coached
1 point/year for learning facilitator or evaluator activity
To a maximum of 5 points within 5 years
NCCP activity5 points/moduleNo maximum or minimum
Non-NCCP activity*3 points for ~3 hours activityMaximum of 3 hours for 1 multiple day clinic/symposium
Coach self-directed activity*3 points for the valid certification periodMaximum of 3 points for certification renewal period
Re-evaluation in context100% of the points required for PD credit in the contextNo other PD is required if coach chooses re-evaluation
Multi-SportNCCP activity5 points/moduleNo maximum or minimum
Non-NCCP activity1 point/hour of activity up to 3 points maximumTo a maximum of 50% of required PD credit for the context in a certification renewal period

* For Non-NCCP activities, and coach self-directed activities, coaches must get approval from Volleyball Alberta to confirm that credit can be claimed. Contact Mike Ling for approval.  Procedures for submission of PD points is currently being finalized.

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