February 2022
Definition of Trainer Education
Academic Review Board: A body established by Members of the Convention to review issues of fairness and equity and to consider appeals on trainer educator course level decisions (including assessments) made by student trainers.
Coach Education Panel Member: Member of the Concacaf Trainer Education Panel, which is responsible for establishing, implementing, and monitoring the Concacaf Training Convention across all Confederate Member Associations.
Educator Trainer: An experienced, knowledgeable and highly skilled soccer coach who is also trained in adult education and can coach student coaches according to the standards set by the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Training Convention: An agreement between Concacaf and its Member Associations that serves as a regulatory framework intended to standardize and improve the quality of trainer education programs across the territory of Concacaf and its Member Associations.
Concacaf: The Association Football Confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Concacaf Training Course: A training course delivered by a Member of the Convention who has been fully certified under the terms and conditions of the Concacaf Training Convention.
Concacaf Coaching Diploma: An award given to someone who has successfully completed the Concacaf Training Course.
Concacaf Training Course: A training course delivered by a Member of the Convention who has been fully certified under the terms and conditions of the Concacaf Training Convention.
Concacaf Coaching License: Permit that allows a person to train within the jurisdiction of Concacaf.
Continuing Professional Development Courses: A course designed to assist coaches or coaching educators to develop their personal and professional abilities, and to enhance their knowledge, skills and practice in soccer coaching
Convention Members: An Association of Members who have signed up to the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Equivalent Qualification: Recognition, given in Concacaf, for the competence possessed by a trainer who has been trained by a non-convention member or independent course provider.
Evaluator: A specialist in trainer education is appointed by Concacaf to conduct an audit for the purpose of evaluating or re-evaluating Member Association domestic trainer education programs to verify whether they meet the standards set out in the Convention.
Head of Trainer Education Sector: Experienced trainer educators who are responsible for defining and leading Convention Member trainer education programs.
Independent Course Provider (ICP): Organizations that provide access to trainer education courses in the Concacaf area but are not Member Associations.
Member Association: A national football association is granted membership by Concacaf.
Minimum Standard: Minimum conditions as set out by the Convention for the delivery of the Concacaf Training course.
Mutual Recognition: Recognition of coaching diplomas among the Members of the Convention.
Non-Convention Members: Member Associations affiliated with Concacaf but not signatories to the Convention; or FIFA Member Associations not affiliated with Concacaf.
Competency Recognition: An assessment process that allows trainers to obtain formal qualifications for the skills and knowledge they possess. This assessment includes matching the evidence provided by the trainer with the results of the diploma level.
Student Trainer: A student registers/attends a Concacaf Coaching Diploma course coordinated by a Convention Member in accordance with the provisions of the Concacaf Training Convention.
Minimum Content Syllabus: Minimum content required for each level course as determined by the trainer education panel
under this Training Convention.
technical director: Responsible for defining and leading the national technical development program.
Registration: the process of becoming a member in good standing within the Canada Soccer system. To be appointed as a Coach in any game or competition under the jurisdiction of Soccer Canada either directly or indirectly, a person must be registered in accordance with Football Canada Rules and Regulations through the Member Association in the Coach’s residential area. Starting in 2023, registration will also ensure that an individual has fulfilled all aspects of the Safe Sport Roster (SSR), which will be a requirement for all coaches.
Suspension or Deletion of Registration: Soccer Canada or the Member Association in the Coach’s residential area has the authority to suspend or deregister a coach under the Coach Registration and Supervision Rules, Part 21 of the Canadian Football Rules and Regulations. Individuals whose registration has been suspended or deleted are not permitted to coach in any competition or training environment under the jurisdiction of Soccer Canada.
Context: competition or training environment with specified coaching requirements, which align coaching activities with certain types of participants and their respective stages of development.
In training: the trainer has completed some, but not all of the course/workshop or component of the course/workshop.
Trained: the trainer has completed all the required courses/workshops to train in a particular context. Under the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), trainers must complete the Ethical Decision Making Online Evaluation to be considered trained. Trained trainers have not been evaluated for competence.
Certified: the trainer has completed all required courses/workshops to train in a context or contexts and has been evaluated and confirmed competent to train in a particular context.
Certificate: what coaches receive after completing Active Starts, FUNdamentals, Learn to Coach and/or Football for Life Online Courses and Practical Workshops on the Field.
Diploma: what coaches receive after completing the Advanced Coach Education Program (ACEP) C, B, A, Children’s, Youth, and/or Youth Goalkeeping Workshop. These trainers have been evaluated and have shown evidence of competence in specific contexts.
Licence: upon successful completion of an ACEP workshop, a trainer receives a license (valid for 3 years), which allows the trainer to register in contexts relevant to that license. For example, a person who has successfully completed a B License Diploma Workshop is granted the ability to register as a License B trainer for a period of 3 years. The license, by itself, does not grant an individual permission to coach unless they are registered.
License Validity: The Training License is valid for a period of 3 years from the time it is issued. Trustees must participate in ongoing professional development to maintain and renew the License. Coaching licenses that have expired are considered invalid and cannot be used as proof of competence or confirmation of appropriate certification for registration purposes.
License Cancellation: While completion of the ACEP Diploma Workshop is irrevocable, the Coaching License may be canceled by Soccer Canada before it expires if one fails to maintain the terms issued. An expired Coaching License cannot be used as proof of certification for coaching purposes in a competition or environment that requires that level of License or for registration purposes.
List of Safe Sports Names (SSR): a list of things a coach must complete in order to register and receive a license to coach within the Canadian Soccer jurisdiction starting from the start of the 2023 season. SSR consists of Coach Education training at the age/stage of the trainee being coached (i.e. Active Start, FUNdamentals, Learn to Train, Soccer for Life or age and competition appropriate Advanced Coach Education Workshop), NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Online Evaluation, NCCP Making Progress in Soccer, NCCP Emergency Action Plan, Honoring Sports Leaders, Background Screening (i.e., e- PIC, Criminal Record Check, reference check, etc.) in addition to complying with the Canadian Football Code of Conduct and the NCCP Responsible Training Movement. All aspects of SSR must be completed and complied with in order for a coach to be registered and granted a coaching license from the start of the 2023 season.
For more information on Coaching Registration and Licensing, Training, and Diplomas, click here.