Coaching Certification Requirements
Coaches, please note - you must register for clinics
through your own HCR Account - our Risk Management
does not register you.
Open your account and click on clinics - follow the
prompts.
PCMHA Risk Management Bench Staff Document
Risk Management: Who needs what?
All volunteers at all levels - Coaches, assistant coaches, and managers
registered with any minor hockey team or association must
complete the Hockey Nova Scotia screening process of Criminal
Records and Vulnerable Sector ( completed at your local police station)
checks must be resubmitted every 3 years.
All volunteers at all levels - Coaches, assistant coaches, registered with
any minor hockey team or association must complete the Respect in
Sport online course.
Coach Certification: What do I need?
Certification Requirements:
· All Coaches, including assistants, at the (Competitive Levels) U9,
U11 ‘AA’, ‘A’, ‘B’, U13 ‘AAA’, ‘AA’, ‘A’, ‘B’,’ U15 ‘AA’, ‘A’ ,‘B’, U18 Minor,
‘AA’, ‘A’, ‘B’ within HNS must be certified at the N.C.C.P. Development
Level I Clinic.
· All instructors at IP -Initiation division (players aged 4, 5 & 6) are to
be certified with a minimum Intro Coach Program.
· All coaches at the U9 (players aged 7 & 8) are to be certified with a
minimum Intro Coach Program.
· All coaches at Recreational / C level from U11, U13, U15, U18 must
certified in the minimum Intro Coach Program or old Initiation Program.
NCCP DEVELOPMENT I is acceptable for Recreation / C level coaches.
· All head coaches of Major Bantam and Major Midget teams are to
be certified with the High Performance 1 Certification. All assistant
coaches at Major Bantam and Major Midget levels are to be certified with
a minimum NCCP Development 1
NOTE: Coaches at the ‘Competitive Levels’ ARE required to take NCCP
Development 1. It is NOT NECESSARY to complete the ‘Intro Coach’
level. Coaches who are coaching IP and Novice will not be permitted to
take NCCP Development 1 until they complete the ‘Coach Level’. This
higher level of coaching is NOT necessary for introductory levels of
hockey. Coaches and instructors must register in the clinic established
as appropriate to the age grouping of the players they are
coaching/instructing.
· All bench coaches, including assistants at the “AAA”, “AA”, and
“A” and Rec divisions at all levels must be certified in the Hockey
Canada Safety Program. This certification must be renewed every three
years and coaches are responsible to verify their currency annually.
· All Initiation Program U7 and U9 / Groupings must have at least one
coach certified in the Hockey Canada Safety Program
NOTE: The Hockey Nova Scotia deadline for registration of coaches of
all ‘AAA” level teams is October 15 th annually. The registration deadline
for all remaining REP teams (AA, A, B) coaches is October 31 st annually.
These dates are in place to afford Hockey Nova Scotia the opportunity to
advise associations, teams and clubs early in the season when their
respective coaches do not possess the necessary certification and allow
them to attend clinics as scheduled.
Starting this season 2023/2024 HNS is implementing that ONE of the
bench staff must have a Valid CSA Basic First Aid( often called
Emergency First Aid by providers), CPR (level C),and AED certification
Any team official who is found to be in violation of any section of HNS-
Regulation #11- Coach Certification will be suspended indefinitely until
certification for that official has been approved by HNS and it has been
added to the HCR. The minimum suspension for a first offence is five [5]
games, a second offence will result in the team official being suspended
for one full calendar year. HNS, HNSMC and HNSFC reserve the right to
lengthen these suspensions depending on the circumstance involved in
each violation.
NEW for 2015-16: Any Canada Registry(HCR) with any team and was not
approved due to lack of the following, Respect in Sport Volunteer
Program(RIS), Criminal Records Check(CRC) and Vulnerable Sector will
NOT be eligible to be registered with any team until these are obtained.
This includes on ice or off ice activities. This regulation would not
include Team Officials that have been approved in the past but their CAR
or CRC have expired. These Team Officials would still have until
December 1st to obtain their renewals.
Definitions:
Coach or Assistant Coach
· A person who is both on the bench during games and is on the ice
during practices.
As of the 2023/2024 season the Head Coach of the team may choose 2 to
3 assistant coaches to assist him/her on the bench. There will be no
Trainers rostered on any team.
Manager
· A person who volunteers to help out a team, submitting tournament
applications and making travel plans, coordinates team budgets and
fundraising events. This person does not go on the bench during games
and does not go on the ice during practice.