Coaches Association of Ontario

What Coaches Association of Ontario does

The Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 2002 that serves as the provincial delivery body for the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in Ontario, recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Sport. It supports coaches from community-level through high-performance across all sports in the province, providing standardized coach education, certification, mentorship, funding, and safe-sport resources. CAO also operates advocacy, events, and research functions, including the annual Ontario Coaching Report which surveyed 1,000+ coaches across 80+ sports.

Name

Coaches Association of Ontario

Legal name

Coaches Association of Ontario

Website

https://coachesontario.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coaches Association of Ontario is an independent non-profit founded in 2002 that serves as the provincial delivery body for the National Coaching Certification Program in Ontario, providing coach training, certification, mentorship, grants, and safe-sport resources to coaches across all sports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coach Education and Certification

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Coach Education, Certification & Clinics (HSADAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sport-Specific Private Coaching & Instruction (1:1, Small Group) (MPAKAJAE)

Keywords

• Coach certification training
• Sport safety education
• Coach mentorship programs
• Community coaching grants
• NCCP course delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. NCCP Course Registration Fees: Revenue from registration fees for NCCP multi-sport coaching courses including Competition Introduction, Competition Development, and Professional Development modules. Fees range from $9 to $145 depending on course type and format (online vs in-person).
2. CAO Community Membership: CAO Community membership programs: 1-Year Blue membership for $20, Lifetime Gold membership for $100. Purchase of community membership is final with no refunds.
3. Government Funding and Grants: Government of Ontario Ministry of Sport funding through Coaching Enhancement Funding programs to support coach education and subsidize workshop costs for hosts.
4. NCCP Materials Sales: Hard copy materials sold to course hosts at $10 per workbook plus shipping and handling. Electronic materials provided free via email 48 hours in advance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) is an independent non-profit that delivers the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) across Ontario. It offers multi-level coach training (Competition Introduction, Competition Development, Professional Development), coach mentorship programs, safe sport resources, and community coaching grants. The organization also runs events such as the NCCP Super Clinic, Ontario Coaches Summit Series, and the Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards.

Product overview

Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) is a non-profit organization that supports coaches across all sports in Ontario through a unified platform of education, funding, and professional development programs. The core offerings include NCCP Training Programs at multiple certification levels, the Safe Sport 101 virtual hub for safety resources, Mentorship Programs connecting coaches with expert mentors, and the Community Coaching Grant providing up to $1,000 in funding. CAO also organizes events like the NCCP Super Clinic and Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards, and operates a Coach Bursary Program offsetting 60-90% of training costs. The organization serves as the coordinating body for NCCP delivery in Ontario, providing coaches with certification, continuing education, and resources from community to high-performance levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Safe Sport 101: A virtual hub providing coaches with tools and resources to make sport safe, fun and inclusive for all participants, launched in partnership with Hydro One
• Changing the Game
• Mentors Express
• Canada Games Apprentice Coach

Products and services

• NCCP Competition Introduction Courses Entry-level NCCP training modules designed for community and club coaches across Ontario, covering planning, teaching and learning, sport program design, and mental skills. Available online and in-person at $90 standard registration with discounted $9 rate at Super Clinic events.
• NCCP Competition Development Courses Advanced NCCP training modules for coaches working with athletes at competitive development levels, covering prevention and recovery, athletic abilities, conflict management, and leadership. Priced at $125 standard registration with $19 discounted rate at Super Clinic events.
• NCCP Professional Development Courses Specialised NCCP modules covering Aboriginal Coaching, Coaching in Ontario Schools, Creating a Positive Sport Environment, Mentorship, and Resistance Training for coaches across Ontario.
• NCCP Home Study and Online Courses Self-paced NCCP home study courses ($145-$150) with a 2-month completion period, plus online multi-sport workshops ($125 for Developing Athletic Abilities, $135 for Coaching and Leading Effectively) delivered via Zoom and The Locker LMS.
• Safe Sport 101 Virtual Hub A free virtual resource hub launched in 2020 through Hydro One partnership providing coaches with safety resources including the eight-part Playbook eLearning series, downloadable resources, Community Coaching Grants, and Ontario Coaching Report research to make sport safe, fun, and inclusive.
• Mentors Express Mentorship Program A one-on-one mentorship program that connects Ontario coaches with expert mentors in Sport Psychology, Nutrition, Leadership & Management, and Strength & Conditioning, with PSO endorsement required.
• Coach 2 Coach Mentorship Program An online community and monthly webinar series enabling coaches to share experiences, best practices, and coaching tips across different sports with active community participation.
• Canada Games Apprentice Coach Program A mentorship program providing aspiring coaches with the opportunity to participate as apprentice coaches at the Canada Games, supporting development of high-performance coaching experience.
• Community Coaching Grant A funding program providing eligible Ontario coaches and sport organisations up to $1,000 to support new equipment, facility improvements, safety training, and coaching workshops. Launched in 2021 with over $200,000 invested over five years and 140+ coaches/organisations supported across 69 communities.
• CAO Community Membership Membership subscription program offering 1-Year Blue membership at $20 and Lifetime Gold membership at $100, providing community access to coach networks, with final non-refundable purchases.
• NCCP Super Clinic Annual flagship CAO event offering heavily subsidised NCCP course rates (e.g., $9 vs $90 standard), scheduled for June 26-28, 2026 in Hamilton, providing intensive multi-day training across multiple certification levels.
• Ontario Coaches Summit Series Annual summit event bringing Ontario coaches together for professional development, networking, and learning from leading practitioners across multiple sports.
• Ontario Coaching Excellence Awards Annual recognition event celebrating and honouring outstanding coaches across Ontario for their contributions to sport development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of coaches volunteer over 600 million hours annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hydro One Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Safe Sport 101 partnership established in 2020 between Hydro One and CAO to provide coaches with tools and resources for safe, fun, inclusive sport. Includes virtual hub with free safety resources, eight-part Playbook eLearning series, Community Coaching Grants, and Ontario Coaching Report. Hydro One has invested over $200,000 in Community Coaching Grant over 5 years. Hydro One is Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with 1.5 million customers, $39.7B in assets, and 9,600 employees.
• Government of Ontario (Ministry of Sport)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOntario Ministry of Sport provides funding support through Coaching Enhancement Funding programs to increase access to coach education. Subsidies may be granted to Host partners to offset costs of hosting NCCP workshops including Learning Facilitator fees, travel, and materials. More than 70% of coaches volunteer their time with 600 million hours annually contributed to Ontario sport.
• Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario (ISWO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAO and ISWO partnered to launch Indigenous Coach and Officials Bursary supporting Indigenous coaches and officials in Ontario. Part of broader efforts to boost representation in sports leadership.
• Canadian Tire JumpStartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCanadian Tire JumpStart offered Keeping Girls in Sport resource FREE to Ontario coaches until June 30, 2022, as part of government initiative through Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries.
• Changing the Game ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFemale coach mentorship program partnership providing dedicated training in individual or group settings for women in coaching.
• Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for NCCP Coaching in Ontario Schools module providing professional development for teachers coaching in school sport settings.
• Aboriginal Sport CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing access to NCCP Aboriginal Coaching Module for Indigenous coach development across Ontario.
• Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPSOs provide support and endorsement for coach mentorship programs including Mentors Express. All mentors recognized by CAO and corresponding PSOs to ensure accurate training. PSO support forms required for Mentors Express applications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Sport Alberta: Provincial not-for-profit delivering sport development, coach education, and funding programs in Alberta. Directly comparable to CAO as a peer provincial sport body serving coaches and PSOs with grants, training, and events.
• Saskatchewan Sport Inc. Provincial umbrella sport organization in Saskatchewan supporting athlete, coach, and official development through grants and training. Mirrors CAO's coordinating role across multiple sports and similar coach training and funding mandate at a smaller provincial scale.
• viaSport (British Columbia): Provincial funding and development body in British Columbia providing coach education, grants, and sport programming similar to CAO's NCCP delivery and Community Coaching Grant model, with comparable government funding relationships.
• Sport Manitoba: Provincial counterpart that delivers coach education, training, and sport development programs for Manitoba. Comparable to CAO in mandate (provincial sport & coaching development), funding model (provincial government grants), and service mix (training, grants, events), but operates in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• SHAPE America: US national membership organization for health and physical education professionals providing certification, professional development, and advocacy. A broad incumbent operating in the same coach/PE professional training category as CAO at national scale, though in a different country.
• Physical & Health Education Canada (pHE Canada): National charity supporting physical and health education through curriculum, advocacy, and teacher/coach professional development. Overlaps with CAO on the education and professional development axis, especially via school-based coaching modules like Coaching in Ontario Schools.
• Sport Canada (Government of Canada): Federal funding and policy arm of the Government of Canada for sport, including the core funding that flows into NCCP delivery partners like CAO. Comparable as a broader incumbent setting the funding and policy environment in which CAO operates.

Direct peers

• UK Coaching: UK national body for coach development offering certification, training, memberships, and learning resources analogous to CAO's NCCP delivery, with a similar mix of paid membership tiers, government funding, and corporate partnerships.
• Coaching Association of Canada: The national umbrella body that owns the NCCP curriculum and certifies the provincial delivery partners (including CAO). It is the closest direct peer because it designs the very coach education and certification framework that CAO delivers in Ontario and operates the same coach recognition, funding, and event programs at the national level.

Others

• Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC): Canadian sport knowledge and resource hub supporting NSOs, PSOs, and coaches with research, training, and content. An ecosystem/thematic peer because it sits upstream of coach education like CAO and serves overlapping PSO and coach audiences across Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coaches_ont
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CoachesOntario
• Facebookfacebook.com/coachesON
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coaches-association-of-ontario
• Instagraminstagram.com/coachesontario

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coaches Association of Ontario