Coaches who take this two-day workshop become “Club Coach Trained”. This workshop does not lead to CERTIFICATION. This is a program designed to enhance the skill set of the coach or instructor who functions primarily at the club level but whose teams are starting their competitive experience. The Club Coach will be competent in training curlers from youth to masters, with skill levels of beginning to intermediate. The Club Coach will be proficient in planning and designing a practice/clinic, ethical decision-making, teaching correct curling skills, skill analysis, safety and program management.

Prerequisite: Must be a minimum of sixteen (16) years of age at the start of the course.

Course Cost: $240 + HST

Course content:

• Role of the Coach and Organizational Management
• Game Orientation, Rules & Etiquette
• Safety
• Warm-ups & Cool-downs
• The Curling Delivery
• Introduction to Strategy
• Brushing
• Ethical Coaching
• Practices
• Clinics
• Skill Analysis
• Special Interest Groups

Club Coach Youth is designed for coaches who do not require certification but become involved on a voluntary (and often short-term) basis. Participants tend to work with curlers of all ages who are new to the sport, but most particularly with Youth Curlers.

Coaches who take this one day (1) workshop will become “Club Coach Youth Trained”. This coach will be able to instruct beginning curlers and youth curlers. A Club Coach Youth instructor will concentrate on the technical skills and leading curlers in activities that are age suitable and technically correct.

Prerequisite: Must be a minimum of fourteen (14) years of age at the start of the course.

Course Cost: $175 + HST

Course content:

• Setting the Scene
• Ethical Coaching
• Practice Planning
• Safety
• Game Orientation
• Teaching the Delivery & Brushing Skills
• Program Management
• Games, Skills and Activities

Competition Coach is designed for coaches who plan to work with athletes who are practicing and competing together. The Competition Coach pathway, at right, describes three training and certification pathways available. Certification as a Competition Coach requires the submission of a practice portfolio and an in-person, on-ice evaluation. 

NEW for 2025-2026

Competition Coach workshops have been updated and will be delivered as a an online theory course followed by a one-day, in-person workshop. 

What’s changed?  Course content has been refreshed, teaching methodologies have been modernized, and Coach Developers have received updated training to deliver programming.  We’re optimizing this program to create strong Curling Coaches who can support athletes in the Train to Train and Train to Compete stages of the Long-Term Curler Development Framework. 

1. On-demand, Online Learning – learn.curling.ca 
2. One-day, In-Person Workshop – see our upcoming training calendar

You’ll start your Competition Coach journey by taking Curling Canada’s comprehensive online training modules which will prepare you for the in-person Competition Coach training being offered by Curling Ontario.

HOW TO GET CERTIFIED

1. Register for a Competition Coach Evaluation – you will be required to upload your completed practice plan, emergency action plan and athlete profile. 
2. Pay your evaluation fee of $185 + HST.  Remember – coaches may be eligible for funding assistance through the Coaches Association of Ontario.
3. Your uploaded documents will be reviewed by a Coach Evaluator. When your plan is approved (revisions may be required) you will be notified by email. We will put you in touch with a local evaluator to set up a time for your evaluation. 
4. Upon completion of the evaluation, the evaluator will return all documentation to the Curling Ontario office for entry into the NCCP Locker, and a copy of the signed evaluation (by both the coach and evaluator) will be returned to the coach via email.

The Competition Development program is administered and delivered by Curling Canada nationally and is open to all provinces/territories.

The Competition Development Program is the next “level” of education for Certified Competition Coaches.  Coaches who plan to coach adult athletes competing at the Brier, Scotties, Mixed Doubles and Olympic Trials require this designation, as do coaches who plan to pursue further education like the Advanced Coaching Diploma.  Coaches advancing to the Canada Winter Games are required to have two of the eleven “courses” contained within the program.  The program’s training is all online using this platform except for three required multi-sport modules and two in-person evaluations.  If you’re looking to raise your game to the next level as a coach – this is the program for you.  

Prerequisite:  Coaches must be “Certified Competition Coaches” to participate in this program.

Restrictions:  This program is restricted to Canadian residents only.

Curling Ontario supports NCCP coaches in ongoing professional development. To maintain a Certified–Renewed status, coaches must earn Professional Development (PD) points. PD point accumulation begins once a coach is Certified; events attended prior to certification do not count.

How PD points work

• Rolling five-year window: PD points are tracked within a five-year period that resets every five years to ensure coaches remain current.
• Renewal status: Your NCCP Locker record shows whether you have enough PD points to be “Renewed.” If not, your status will appear as “Not Renewed.” Coaches do not lose their attained education levels—only the Renewed designation lapses.
• Re-establishing Renewed status: Coaches flagged as “Not Renewed” simply need to accumulate the required PD points for their certification level to regain Renewed status.

Ways to earn PD points

• NCCP workshops and in-person modules
• eLearning courses available in the NCCP Locker (many are free)
• Sport organization conferences and workshops
• Coach mentorship and supervised coaching
• Active coaching and independent learning (self-reported in the Locker)
• Webinars and archived learning resources offered by Curling Ontario

Track your progress Log into your NCCP Locker for an up-to-date record of PD points and certification status. For instructions on creating an NCCP number, using the Locker, and self-reporting PD activities, see the “Locker” tab.

What is The Locker?

• Canada’s central coaching database (managed by the Coaches Association of Canada). It stores your coaching education, certifications and Professional Development (PD) points under one unique NCCP number.

Why you need an NCCP number

• You must have an NCCP# to register for NCCP courses and to have training recorded. Each coach has one permanent NCCP#.

Get started — simple steps

1. Create an NCCP number
   • You need a valid email. Follow the Coaches Association of Canada instructions to create an NCCP#.
2. Look up your NCCP number (if needed)
   • Use the Locker lookup tool if you think you already have one but don’t remember it.
3. Log in to The Locker
   • Sign in with your credentials to access your profile and dashboard.
4. View your coaching record
   • Check your certifications, completed courses, and PD history in “View Record.”
5. Register for courses and access eLearning
   • Use your NCCP# to register for workshops and eLearning. Completed modules automatically update your Locker record.
6. Track and self-report PD points
   • PD points are tracked in your Locker. You can self-report eligible activities (e.g., active coaching) to maintain or renew certification.

Need help?

• Use the help pages on the Coaches Association of Canada site for step-by-step guides and links.
• Contact Sean Turriff: sean@curlingontario.ca for assistance.