National Capital Football Coaches Association

National Capital Football Coaches Association.. A Short History

Background

The local football scene has been a hot bed of football for many years. There is a large population of players and coaches that participate in a number of levels of play; community football (National Capital Amateur Football Association), high school, CEGEP, Junior (QJFL) and University (CIS) football with our University of Ottawa GG’s.

This area boasts one of the largest amateur football associations in Canada in the NCAFA, who have been in existence for over 50 years, and have over 4,000 members in 14 Clubs with a presence in Gatineau, PQ, Cornwall, ON and a new program in Brockville, ON. Coupled with a resurgence of football at the high school level and in particular noted growth in the Seaway Valley, the formation of a new AA CEGEP program, the presence of football in the Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec has never been stronger.

The NCAFA is unique in that it provides opportunities for players aged 8 to 19 years of age under a single organization. These players may graduate to, or in parallel play, for high school, CEGEP, Junior and CIS programs. With over 400 coaches in its ranks, the NCAFA felt an obligation to find opportunities to promote coaching development to enhance play within its program areas and to eliminate barriers for those outside of the NCAFA to gain from these opportunities.

Formation

The idea for a Football Coaches Association was not new. Taking the idea forward however has generally been less than successful. In the early part of 2007, work commenced on the formation of a local Coaches Association with support from Football Canada, NCAFA and local high school interests. The objective was to formalize the initiative and to put energy into creating a Football Coaches Association with an established target to launch of January 1, 2008.

The core team consisted of Stephen Dean (President, NCAFA), Rick Sowieta (Technical Director, Football Canada), Lee Barrette (CIS, U17 Program Head Coach) and Dwayne Smith (Head Coach, Ashbury HS).

This team met on a number of occasions with a formal Board of Governors established in September, 2007. Lee Barrette was named President and Dwayne Smith as Vice President. Patrick Kuprowski (Secretary) and Christian Audet (Treasurer) were also named to the team at that time. This Board will set direction and enable the launch of the new association for its first year of operation.

The name National Capital Football Coaches Association (NCFCA) was chosen by the Board to give representation to coaches in Eastern Ontario and West Quebec and not place a perceived geographic boundary or limit on who could actually become a member. The logo was selected in December and will be used on all association collateral and clothing. In addition, the motto “RESPECT THE GAME” was adopted for the new association.

We expect that both the name and logo will become synonymous with excellence and professionalism as the new NCFCA makes its mark in the coaching world.

Objectives

The objectives of the NCFCA are simple;

To promote harmonious relationships between coaches in their respective organizations (area high schools, CEGEP, NCAFA, QJFL and CIS).
To bring to the members the latest methods and techniques of teaching football.
To help maintain the highest possible standards in athletics and the coaching profession, and to work together for the improvement of conditions in our area.
To secure a better understanding of the problems of coaching and to place at the disposal of coaches, sources of information.
To promote good fellowship and social contacts among coaches.

While the creation of a formal set of objectives, constitutional document are in the works, we believe above objectives will guide the organization for many years to come.

First Steps

The first year of the new NCFCA will focus on establishing the organization within the local football community. A key focus will be driving membership to help fund some exciting initiatives to aid coaching development and increase the visibility of the association at a National level.

The 2008 calendar will focus on three seminars to be run January to March and a major Coaching Clinic to be held in April. The seminars will run for approximately 2 hours each and will see guest speakers provide information on a wide range of selected topics (topics to be selected by the coaching community) .. they are also excellent networking opportunities.

The highlight of the season will be the larger Coaching Clinic to be run in April of each year. This will provide a Friday night social event with a guest speaker, followed on Saturday with a much larger level of participation with multiple presenters providing information on a wide range of topics. We will eventually include vendor participation at this event to further enhance the experience and the amount of knowledge being made available to participants.

The Future

The success of the NCFCA will be measured in the active participation of its members and their desire to seek opportunities to share information and improve personal development.

Better coaching = Improved level of play

Improved level of play = Better on field performance

Better on field performance = Need for Better Coaching

… and the cycle repeats …

I look forward to the successful launch of the NCFCA and in continued growth for the sport of football in this area.

Steve Dean