Coaching Association of Canada

What Coaching Association of Canada does

The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is a non-profit amateur sport organization founded in 1970 in Ottawa, Canada, that serves as the national governing body for coach education and certification in Canada. It operates the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), launched in 1974, which has trained more than 2.4 million coaches across 65 sports, with over 100,000 coaches participating in NCCP workshops annually. The organization is funded primarily through federal government mandate agreements (Sport Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada) and secondarily through training course fees, delivering content through a network of Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representatives (PTCRs) embedded across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories and through strategic partnerships with National Sport Organizations (NSOs).

The CAC's central technology product is The Locker, a proprietary learning management system (LMS) that maintains certification records for over 2 million coaches and serves as the digital hub for eLearning delivery, training module access, and professional development tracking. Supplementing the core NCCP credentialing pathway are more than a dozen specialized training modules covering safe sport, ethics (Make Ethical Decisions), mental health, concussion awareness, anti-racism, intercultural skills, and the Rule of Two policy. Additional offerings include the NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma, the quarterly Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching (published since 2000), and the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub. The organization has 11–50 employees and is led by CEO Lorraine Lafrenière with a Board of Directors comprising athlete, coach, NSO, provincial/territorial, and federal government representatives.

The CAC's go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, relying on PTCRs and NSOs to embed NCCP certification within sport-specific development pathways. Revenue mechanics blend recurring government mandate funding with one-time fees for paid workshops and online evaluations, supplemented by freemium access to select modules and the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub (which is free). Strategic partnerships with Sport Integrity Canada (Canadian Safe Sport Program/UCCMS), the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) extend CAC's mandate beyond credentialing into national sport-safety governance and mental health resource provision.

Name

Coaching Association of Canada

Legal name

Coaching Association of Canada

Website

https://coach.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Coaching Association of Canada is a non-profit national governing body that operates the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and The Locker learning management system, delivering standardized coaching education, sport safety training, and certification management to over 2 million coaches across 65 sports in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coach Education and Certification

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (61171), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coach Education, Certification & Clinics (HSADAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Referee, Umpire & Coach Education/Certification Academies (MPAKAJAN)

Keywords

• Coach certification
• Sport safety training
• Coaching education
• National coaching program
• Amateur sport development

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The CAC receives federal government funding as indicated by their mandate agreements and annual reports. This forms the core operational funding.
2. Training Course Fees: Revenue generated from NCCP workshop registrations and online evaluation fees. Some modules are free while others are paid.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Coaching Association of Canada is a national non-profit organization that delivers standardized coach education and certification across Canada through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). It operates "The Locker," a digital learning management system that maintains training records and offers eLearning modules for coaches at all levels.

Product overview

The Coaching Association of Canada operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on The Locker, a digital learning management system (LMS) that serves as the central hub for coaches to access training, manage certifications, and track professional development. The core credentialing program is the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), which provides standardized coaching education across 65 sports. Supplementing these core offerings are numerous training modules including Safe Sport Training, NCCP Make Ethical Decisions, Concussion Awareness, Mental Health in Sport, and Intercultural Skills in Sport, all accessible through The Locker platform. Additional offerings include the NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma for advanced practitioners, the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching as a quarterly publication, and the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub providing specialized mental health resources. The portfolio functions as an integrated ecosystem where coaches enroll in multi-sport and sport-specific training through The Locker, which records their progress toward NCCP certifications and professional development points.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program): The National Coaching Certification Program provides standardized, inclusive, and sport safety education to coaches and coach developers across 65 sports.
• The Locker
• Canadian Safe Sport Program
• Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching

Products and services

• National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP)
• The Locker
• NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma
• Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.4 million coaches trained since 1974
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representatives (PTCRs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPTCRs are the regional delivery partners for NCCP training across Canada's provinces and territories. They coordinate coach education and certification within their jurisdictions.
• National Sport OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSOs collaborate with CAC on NCCP delivery for their specific sports, integrating certification requirements into their sport development pathways.
• Sport Integrity CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP), which administers the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) and handles maltreatment reporting.
• Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub, providing expertise on mental health integration in sport.
• Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAC is a proud employer partner of CCDI, supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives within the organization.
• Aboriginal Sports CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub with focus on Indigenous sport communities.
• Inclusion in Canadian Sports NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub supporting inclusive sport practices.
• Game PlanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health partnership supporting athlete wellbeing through the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub.
• Kids Help Phone (Jeunesse J'écoute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrisis support partner integrated into the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK Coaching: UK's national coach development organization providing coaching qualifications, CPD, and resources. Directly comparable to CAC as a country-level coach certification and education body, with similar membership-based delivery model.
• Coaching Ireland: National coaching body in Ireland delivering accredited coach education across multiple sports. Closely analogous to CAC's NCCP model with similar sport-safety and coach-developer frameworks.
• Sport Australia / Australian Sports Commission: Australian government's sport agency delivering the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme across sports. Comparable to CAC as the federal-level steward of standardized coach certification.
• U.S. Center for SafeSport: U.S. body focused on safe sport training, abuse prevention, and the SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic movement. Directly comparable to CAC's Safe Sport Training and Canadian Safe Sport Program (UCCMS).

Emerging players

• International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE): Global non-profit advancing coaching standards and frameworks worldwide. Relevant as a peer ecosystem organization and potential partner/licensing counterparty for CAC's international programs.
• National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS): U.S. organization providing youth sport safety, coaching education, and member services for youth sport organizations. Comparable to CAC's safe sport and grassroots coach training focus.
• Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS): Specialized Canadian organization providing mental health support in sport. Partnered with CAC on the Mental Health and Sport Resource Hub; comparable in the sport-mental-health niche but narrower scope.

Regional players

• Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (DOSB): German Olympic Sports Confederation overseeing coach education (DOSB-Lizenz) and certification across German sport federations. Comparable coach certification authority but operates within Germany only.

Broad incumbents

• World Rugby: Global governing body of rugby that issues its own coaching certifications (World Rugby Coaching). Comparable as a sport-specific coach certification authority, though narrower in sport scope than CAC.

Others

• Athlete Development Canada / Canadian Sport Institute Network: Canadian network delivering advanced coach and athlete development, working in conjunction with NCCP pathways. Adjacent ecosystem participant sharing CAC's coach development mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CAC_ACE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/CDNcoach2010
• Facebookfacebook.com/coach.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coaching-association-of-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/coach.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Coaching Association of Canada