On behalf of the Canadian Soccer Association, BC Soccer offers national certification courses within the Community Sport Stream and the Licensing Stream which are age specific and focus on the Long Term Player Development stages. For more information on our coaching courses and registration, please visit our "Coaching Courses" page.
BC Soccer is also pleased to support member organizations and affilfiated clubs by providing three free festival and/or workshop offerings that not only support player development and fun participation but also increase coach education and training.
In addition to the indoor and outdoor festival discussed below, BC Soccer is also able to offer a Goalkeeping (U13+) workshop upon request. For more information, please visit our "Festivals and Workshops" page.
Answers to many of the frequently asked questions are below.
The game in British Columbia is administered at the local level, by Youth District Soccer Associations and Adult (Senior) Full Member Leagues who are affiliated to BC Soccer and carry the responsibility for organizing and running soccer activities in their area. Each of them governs the local soccer clubs under its regional jurisdiction.
Visit our "Directory of Membership" page to view a listing of our Youth District Soccer Associations and Adult Leagues.
NEW Mandatory Coaching requirements!
BC Soccer Rules and Regulations
IMPORTANT: If you are coaching in the ages U6-U12 you are required to complete the age appropriate course(s) even if you have a higher level of certification (ie. Soccer for Life, B pretest, C License, B License or A License).
To register for or to learn more about a specific Coaching Course CLICK HERE
RULES FOR PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (AND OTHER CUP COMPETITIONS)
Provincial Premier Cup, A Cup, B Cup (Girls), Les Sinnott Memorial Cup (Boys), Coastal Cup, Interior Play Downs: The head coach must have the following CSA / BC Soccer Coaching certification: SOCCER FOR LIFE
Adult Provincial A Cup: At least one member of the coaching staff must have the SOCCER FOR LIFE for teams entered in the Provincial
Adult U21, Master Classics (men/women +35), Adult Provincial B Cup: No Coaching Certification required
The BC Soccer Coaching Certification Database* is a complete listing of all coaches who have successfully completed the following courses: Active Start, Fundamentals, Learn to Train, Soccer for Life, B Pre, C License and B Provincial. This database is updated monthly.
For B National or A License certification status, only the Canadian Soccer Association holds records of these coaches on their status check.
NCCP records coaching status through their database called The Locker. BC Soccer does not issue nor track NCCP coaching card numbers or provide access to The Locker database. Please contact the Coaching Association of Canada
All such inquiries are made directly with Canada Soccer:
Foreign Certification Equivalency: CLICK HERE
Ex-Professional or National Team playing experience: CLICK HERE
BC Soccer coaching courses offer resource material at each level; please look to register for one that meets your coaching needs. To find the right course for you and register, please visit our "Coach Courses" page.
For other coaching resources available directly on our website, please visit of "Resources & Manuals" page.
Making Ethical Decisions
This module is offered through Coaches Association of Canada and delivered by its local NCCP partner that is aimed at coaches to identify the legal, ethical, and moral implications of difficult situations that present themselves in the world of team and individual sport. Since the launch of the new courses within our National Coaching Pathway, the Making Ethical Decisions module became a separate component from the soccer-specific courses and enables the coach to complete it on his/her own time. The coach only needs to complete this module once and it is evaluation based. Coaches can initially take the training through either, on-line, in-class or home-study options for $65 and then must complete the online evaluation (included in the fee) meeting a passing grade of minimum 75% in order to obtain record on their NCCP transcript.
Once coaches have completed the MED training and it appears on their NCCP transcript, they will have unlimited attempts at the MED evaluation (Competition Development module). Coaches may also choose to proceed directly to the MED evaluation without taking any training, however, please note the following:
For more information and how to register for this course and/or proceed to complete the on-line evaluation, please click here: Making Ethical Decisions Module
IMPORTANT:
Community Stream: Coaches must complete the MED training which is necessary for “trained” status in the NCCP database (this is available, in person or home study options)
Licensing Stream: Successful MED online evaluation pass (75%+) is necessary for “certified” status in the NCCP database. MED training is recommended but is not necessary to take the evaluation but you only have two tries at the test before having to complete the training.
To find out the requirements you need as a coach Click HERE