February 23, 2012
HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHING PROJECT
PREAMBLE
The Conference Board of Canada “Analysis of Canadian Sport Policy Renewal F-P/T Consultations and
e-Survey data” reports that ‘coaches and instructors’ are the top priority for Canada’s high
performance system, and that the current situation is ‘insufficient or in need of improvement’:
“Eighty-one percent of all individuals who responded to the e-survey (n=1635) –
whether an athlete, coach, official, volunteer, employer, researcher or parent;
and eighty-two percent of all organizations (n=564) – whether private, public or
not-for-profit identified ‘coaches and instructors’ as the top priority for
Canada’s high performance delivery system.” (1)
A group of organizations including the Coaching Association of Canada, Own the Podium, Sport
Canada, Coaches of Canada, the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Committee, the national sport
organizations and Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes have joined together to conduct an
extensive analysis of the current status of high performance coaching in Canada, the needs and the
gaps to be addressed, and the action steps to improve the situation. We wish to develop a national
plan for high performance coaching development and support.
The group believes that among several valuable outcomes from this review, the following will occur:
 Assessing and improving the quality of Canada’s coaches for national team podium
performance
 A clearer understanding of the role and involvement of Canadian Sport Centres and Institutes
in developing and employing coaches
 A clearer understanding of provincial initiatives and responsibilities in developing and
employing coaches
 A better understanding of the professional needs of coaches to assist them to be more
effective and to commit to the profession
 A clearer understanding of the value of current coach training and education and how the
national ‘system’ can be improved; how educational institutions can be better involved in
coach education
 The development of a pan-Canadian high performance coaching strategy
The scope of work and the general process are outlined below.
(1) Conference Board of Canada, “Analysis of Canadian Sport Policy Renewal (CSPR) F-P/T
Government Consultations and e-Survey Data”, p. 69. http://sirc.ca/csprenewal.cfm#
(October 2011).
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BROAD OUTLINE OF WORK TO BE ACCOMPLISHED
We see the study being developed with five main themes.
1. THE FOUNDATION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHING
We will define High Performance (HP) coaches as coaches working with athletes in the high
performance pathway and explain the need for HP coaches at both the national and
provincial levels. Possibly included in this analysis will be:
a) Introduction to this study; its purpose and goals; why is such a study needed at this
time; how the study is organized
b) The importance of coaching in meeting the desired international performance goals;
the need for developing and supporting coaches at all levels of the high performance
pathway; a definition of HP coaches.
c) Defining and differentiating the roles and responsibilities of HP coaches, including
High Performance Directors and Head, National, Provincial, Institute/Centre, and
personal Coaches; university and college coaches; the reporting relationships and
structures of coaching staffs, including the linkages between national, provincial,
club, and training centre coaches.
d) A description of the structure and organisation of coaching in Canada, nationally,
provincially; professionally and volunteer; involvement of corporations and private
organisations
e) The strengths and weaknesses of centralized and decentralized approaches to
coaches training and support systems; consideration of common approaches by
provinces for programming and funding provincial programs; consideration of better
coordinating national, federal, provincial, university/college, Institute and other
coaches training and support programs.
2. REVIEW OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHES WITHIN THE PATHWAY
a) We need to know what is the ideal HP coach profile at each level of the HP Coaching
pathway.
b) We need to take inventory to determine the quality of HP coaches presently at each
level of the HP coaching pathway, measured against the HP coach profile established
above.
c) We need to identify the gap between “what is” and “what needs to be” based on the
above
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d) How and what do we assess as “coaching effectiveness” in the HP pathway beyond
just measuring athlete performance?
e) Thus, we will need to determine the assessment approach and tools to measure high
performance coach effectiveness.
3. TRAINING AND EDUCATION OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHES
a) Current education level of Canadian coaches: what level of formal education (university
and certification) do Canadian high performance coaches have, and how does this
compare to that of other countries?
b) Analysis of the National Coaching Institute diploma: its effectiveness as the foundation
program for advanced coach preparation; comparison of the NCI curriculum with
workgroup two (above) data on assessment of HP coaches i.e. model coach vs. current
strengths and weaknesses of Canadian coaches vs. NCI preparation program – where
are the gaps?
c) Advanced Coach Excellence (ACE) program: its effectiveness in bringing coaches to the
international level
d) Professional Development for National Coaches: what programs and opportunities exist
for national coaches to improve their skills?
e) Other possible topic areas: coaching qualifications required for university coaching
positions; financial / scholarship support available for coach education; equivalency
processes for coaches who do not have formal coach education; recruitment / fast
tracking of candidates into coach education, especially national team athletes; prov and
national priorities for coaching development.
4. WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHES
We wish to assess the work environment for HP coaches, and suggest how shortcomings can
be addressed.
a) The quantity and quality of coaching jobs available in the selected sports at national
and provincial levels.
b) Pathways for employment (job opportunities, promotion, mentoring, etc.)
c) Working conditions (contracts, reviews, support staff, etc.)
d) Support opportunities
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5. OTHER ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
During this review, we will ‘capture’ a number of issues and discuss them, and make a number
of recommendations not covered by the other topics. These include, but are not limited to:
the concept of a coaching academy or coaching centre of excellence (university-based
program for coaches and HPDs); talent identification of coaches; transition of athletes to
coaching careers; and a compilation of coaching-related data, programming and funding data
from federal and provincial governments.
PROCESS
Dr. Roger Jackson, former CEO of Own the Podium, will coordinate the project under the direction of
a Steering Committee of the key partners.
STEERING COMMITTEE
A Steering Committee will be established to steer, coordinate and facilitate the implementation of
the study. The Steering Committee will provide direction on the design of the project, review the
methods used to collect data, and provide input on report drafts as they are prepared. Membership
would include one representative of each of the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Committee,
Sport Canada, Coaches of Canada, Coaching Association of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian
Sport Institutes, and Roger Jackson. The Steering Committee will meet as needed, but at least three
or four times over the period of the project.
WORKING GROUPS
Five working groups will be established, one for each of the topic areas, to ensure input from sport
specific, multisport, national and provincial perspectives. Each of these groups will be led by one
individual (see below) and composed, as needed, of others who could contribute, including a
representative from the agencies on the Steering Committee and from sports.
Working Groups
1. The Foundation For High
Performance Coaching
2. Review Of High Performance
Coaches Within The Pathway
3. Training And Education Of High
Performance Coaches
4. Working Environment Of High
Performance Coaches
5. Other Issues And Recommendations
Lead
Roger Jackson
Members
TBD
Johnny Misley, OTP
TBD
John Bales, CAC
TBD
Wayne Parro, C of C
TBD
Roger Jackson
TBD
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TIMELINES
A preliminary sketch of timing for this study is as follows:
January 2012: confirm partner participation, design research process (collection of existing data,
identification of additional information required, etc.)
Mid-February, 2012: Steering Committee and Working Group (WG) membership confirmed; each
WG has further developed their scope of work as per a planning template
February-August 2012: data collection and analysis; preparation of parts of the report;
August-Sept 2012: analysis of Olympic/Paralympic coaching success at 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games
Oct-Dec 2012: analysis and report preparation
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