August 21, 2008

The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association is pleased to announce increased Sport Canada funding to its Female Apprentice Coach Program, a national project conducted in partnership with the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association, the Quebec Sport Sports Federation, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and the BC Colleges Athletic Association, aimed at increasing the number of female coaches within the College sport system.

The project is in its fourth year of existence and is funded by Sport Canada, a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The Female Apprentice Coach Program for graduated student-athletes is aimed at targeting the rich source of potential coaches in the ranks of graduating student-athletes and developing a new coaching position to attract these women. The CCAA promotes the staffing of at least one female coach in each woman’s sport program.  Incentives are offered to institutions that offer CCAA graduating student-athletes coach positions on their coaching staff within the CCAA sports of soccer, volleyball, basketball and badminton. 2008-09 is the inaugural season for CCAA Golf and Cross Country Running.

CCAA Executive Director, Sandra Murray-MacDonell, “indicated that with Sport Canada’s project funding increase from $60,000 to $80,000 there will be an increase in the number of graduating student-athletes being funded as Apprentice Coaches this season. Moreover, financial assistance will also be directed to those apprentice coaches who are continuing their pursuit of Coaching development and education.”

The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association is a national sport organization that enriches the lives of student-athletes through intercollegiate competition.