Everyone deserves a great coach

“Safe Sport” as a movement is gaining prominence and traction in both Canada and across the world. More than ever, participants and consumers of sport are demanding that sporting environments are safe, inclusive, and conducive to a quality sporting experience. Coaches are the architects of these environments and experiences, and they hold the highest responsibility in the delivery of Safe Sport practices. 

Beyond developing skills and optimizing performance, coaches are responsible for creating a safe and positive environment that supports the social, emotional, and cognitive development of every athlete. These are complex challenges in rapidly changing times, and it is important to be informed! 

Click here for Safe Sport resources specific to coaching.

The National Triathlon Coach Registry is a list of nationally endorsed coaches who have met the licensing requirements outlined below. Inclusion on this list lets the public know that a coach has met our Safe Sport standards and values/upholds the philosophies of the Safe Sport Movement. 

As a coach moves through the NCCP, their level of training will also update and show in the registry. This will allow athletes and parents to find local coaches that match their training and performance goals. Coaches are also able to customize their registry profile with some basic information about themselves (email, years with the sport, home city, etc.). 

Click here for more information on the Coach Registry.

NCCP coaches are described as follows:

• In Training – when they have completed some of the required training for a context
• Trained – when they have completed all required training for a context
• Certified – when they have successfully completed all evaluation requirements for a context

The NCCP model distinguishes between training and certification. Coaches can participate in training opportunities to acquire or refine the skills and knowledge required for a particular coaching context as defined by the sport and be considered “trained“.

To become “certified” in a coaching context, coaches must be evaluated on their demonstrated ability to perform within that context in areas such as program design, practice planning, performance analysis, program management, ethical coaching, support to participants during training, and support to participants in competition.

Certified coaches enjoy the credibility of the sporting community and of the athletes they coach because they have been observed and evaluated “doing” what is required of them as a competent coach in their sport. They are recognized as meeting or exceeding the high standards embraced by more than 60 national sport organizations in Canada.

Key Context Resources and References

Click here for the Triathlon Canada NCCP Coach Pathway Infographic.
Click here for the Triathlon Canada NCCP Coach Developer Pathway Infographic
Click here for Triathlon Canada’s LTAD model.

Coaching in any of the coaching streams is influenced by the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model which supports the development of athletic skill through the right stages at the right time.

Registering and licensing as a Triathlon Canada coach is the official starting point for coaching membership and education. All coaches must be licensed before they begin their training. 

The first step is registering as a Triathlon Canada Coach and creating an NCCP number. If you already have an NCCP number, you can simply link your existing number with your triathlon account as part of the registration process. Licensing requires steps 2-4 outlined below, all of which can be done through the Triathlon Canada Coaching Portal free of charge. 

Steps to Registration & Licensing

Step 1: Create a Triathlon Canada Coaching Account and obtain (or link) an NCCP number

Status: Triathlon Canada Registered Coach

Step 2: Complete an Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC)
Step 3: Complete 3 training modules
– CAC Safe Sport e-learning
– CAC Understanding the Rule of Two e-learning
– NCCP Making Head Way in Sport e-learning (concussion awareness)
Step 4: Complete Intro to Triathlon Rules e-learning

Status: Triathlon Canada Licensed Coach

The Community Coach (youth or adult) is focused on supporting community athletes both by introducing them to the sport and with long-term engagement throughout the community sport pathway. These athletes can be all ages, novices to the sport, or experienced athletes with a passion for competition. Community coaches teach fundamental triathlon skills, provide a road map for safe participation, and introduce athletes to events and competition – skill, technique, and fun! This context is designed for coaches of athletes moving from the FUNdamentals to Learn-to-Train, Train-to-Train, and Active-for-Life stages of the long term athlete development model (LTAD). 

Our youth coaching pathway is under review to better align it with our Community and Competition pathways. Youth coaches have the added challenge of supporting young athletes at a time where many are making the decision to pursue either community or high performance sport. The revisions to the pathway allow training to better transfer between contexts to support coaches in continuing their training to expand into adult community coaching or onto the competition pathway. 

Steps to Certification in Community Coaching:

Step 1: Complete Triathlon Canada Coach Licensing

Status: Triathlon Canada Licensed Coach

Step 2: Complete the Triathlon Canada NCCP Community Coaching Workshop
– Triathlon Canada NCCP Adult Community Coaching Workshop, and/or
– Triathlon Canada NCCP Youth Community Coaching Workshop (under development) 

Status: Community Coach In Training (Youth or Adult)

Step 3: Take 3 NCCP Multisport Modules
– NCCP Make Ethical Decisions (MED)
– NCCP Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
– NCCP Sport Nutrition

Status: Community Coach Trained (Youth or Adult)

Step 4: Submit Portfolio and be observed by a Community Coach Evaluator

Status: Certified Community Coach (Youth or Adult)

Step 5: Maintenance of Certification
– 10 points every 5 years

A Competition Coach is focused on athletes who are on or are interested in moving onto the high performance pathway. Within the National Sport system, this pathway is defined by an end-goal of competing at the Olympic or Paralympic Games. Education is focused around this definition, however, Triathlon Canada welcomes and supports coaches who strive to work with professional-level athletes across all the triathlon and multisport disciplines. This context is designed for coaches of athletes in the Train-to-Train, Train-to-Compete, and Train-to-Win stages of the LTAD. The priority for Competition coaches is refining skills and techniques, physical training, sport psychology, and all aspects of the daily training environment to develop strong practices and competition skills. 

Those interested in applying to the Competition pathway should be working with the athlete group identified above and must be supported in their application by their Provincial Sport Organization. Coaching is not a linear pathway, so there is no requirement to first complete training as a Community Coach.

Steps to Certification in Competition Coaching:

Step 1: Complete Triathlon Canada Coach Licensing

Status: Licensed Coach

Step 2: Apply to the Competition Pathway & Begin Mentorship
– Portfolio, Yearly Training Plan (YTP) / Individual Performance Plan (IPP) 

Status: Competition Coach In-Training

Step 3: Complete Portfolio & IPP/YTP Evaluation

Step 4: Complete NCCP Multisport Modules & Online Evaluations
– NCCP Make Ethical Decisions (MED)
– NCCP Plan a Practice
– NCCP Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
– NCCP Sport Nutrition
– NCCP Design a Basic Sports Program
– NCCP Coaching and Leading Effectively
– NCCP Developing Athletic Abilities
– NCCP Prevention and Recovery
– NCCP Psychology of Performance
– NCCP Managing Conflict
– NCCP Leading Drug-free Sport

– NCCP Making Ethical Decisions Online Evaluation
– NCCP Managing Conflict Online Evaluation

Step 5: Complete the Triathlon Canada NCCP Competition Coach Workshop
– Pre-Course Seminar #1: Technical, Tactical, & Physiological Strategies
– Pre-Course Seminar #2: Program Management & Race Day Coaching Strategies
– In-Person Workshop: Technical Coaching (Swim, Bike, Run, & Transition)

Status: Competition Coach Trained

Step 6: Register to Competition Coach Certification
Step 7: Complete Observation and Evaluation by Competition Coach Evaluator

Status: Certified Competition Coach

Step 8: Maintenance of Certification
– 30 points every 5 years

The High Performance Coach is focused on working with National- or Provincial-level athletes who are on the podium pathway. This context is for coaches of athletes in the Train-to-Compete and Compete-to-Win stages of the long term athlete development (LTAD) model. Their priority is consistent and repeatable mastery of technical skills and development of comprehensive support systems for athletes in their daily training environment. They also specialize in supporting athletes to high level competitions (World Triathlon Cup, World Triathlon/Para Triathlon Championship Series, World Triathlon/Para Championships) as well as major games such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Steps to Certification in High Performance Coaching:

Step 1: Complete Triathlon Canada Coach Licensing

Status: Licensed Coach

Step 2: Complete Triathlon Canada Competition Coach Certification

Status: Certified Competition Coach

Step 3: Complete the Advanced Coaching Diploma (ACD)
Step 4: Complete Competition-Development Advanced Gradation (CDAG) Evaluation

Status: Certified Competition-Development Advanced Gradation Coach

Step 5: Maintenance of Certification
– 30 points every 5 years

Coach Developers (CDs) are an essential part of Triathlon Canada’s coach education pathway. They deliver courses, support coaches through the evaluation and certification processes, and act as mentors. These tend to be highly active members of our community and strong advocates for both coaches in general and our sport. There are three kinds of CDs defined under the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP):

• NCCP Learning Facilitators (LFs)
• NCCP Coach Evaluators (CEs)
• NCCP Master Coach Developers (MCDs)

Regardless of the end-goal, the training pathway for Coach Developers follows a similar series of steps. The training within each step is specific to the desired CD role.

Click here for a full description of the Coach Developer Pathway

Triathlon Canada completed a major overhaul of the Triathlon NCCP is 2019.  This included a significant redesign of the coaching pathway and creation of a more robust Community Coaching program.  The revisions completed in 2025 have been to tweak and refine the pathway to best serve our coaching community and have not had a significant impact on currently held certifications. 

All prior NCCP training and certifications will be recognized and credited for revised pathways. In order to transfer training and certification, coaches have conditionally approved options for entry into the new pathways as shown in the table below. 

Coaches who achieved Comp Intro ‘Trained’ status prior to 2019 under the old system have become ‘Trained’ Community coaches; if they were Comp Intro Certified they automatically became Community Certified. Only Comp Intro coaches who continued their training with high performance athletes will have the option of registering for certification in the Competition pathway.

Download the Triathlon Canada Grandfather Program infographic here.

Triathlon Canada and the Coaching Association of Canada recognize the value of having certified NCCP coaches that are engaged in Professional Development (Pro-D) programs which reinforce best practice and the values of lifelong learning and sharing among the coaching community. Professional Development activities and points are tracked through the CAC Locker. As part of your ongoing commitment to coaching, all certified coaches will be required to maintain their certification by accumulating professional development (Pro-D) points over a set time frame.  Pro-D points are provided for all recognized training. 

Maintenance of Certification (MoC) Requirements: 
Community Coach (Youth or Adult) – 10 points over 5 years
Competition Coach – 30 points over 5 years
High Performance Coach – 30 points over 5 years

Click here for more information on maintenance of certification.

Click here for Portal FAQ document
Click here for the coaching resources library