The Children’s Diploma is run exclusively by Canada Soccer and prepares the student coach to meet the demands of coaching children 5-12 years of age in a development environment.

  • Application Review: All applicants will be screened during April, with responses to all applicants no later than April 30.
  • Student coaches will have until June 30 to accept their place on the course and pay the course fee in full. If a student coach rejects their place on the course, it will be offered to the next student coach.

Target Coach:

The Children’s Diploma was designed for those coaches working actively within Children’s soccer, including full or part-time staff coaches. Priority acceptance will be given to those actively coaching in those environments.

Pre-Requisite:

  • Completed Online Theory and Practical Grassroots Workshops training for Active Start, Fundamentals, and Learn to Train.
  • Currently coaching or leading Grassroots programming U13 and below.
  • Valid Criminal Record Check

Start Date:

August/September annually

Course Duration:

75 hours (12 months)

Learning Environment:

  • 2 x 3.5 days, in-person (classroom & field),
  • Independent Online Learning (asynchronous),
  • Collaborative Online Learning (synchronous),
  • Collaborative Group Learning (mentor-supported)

Attendance:

Coaches must attend 100% of the in-person and online sessions to be licenced. Please note, the course is split into EAST and WEST groups. Coaches must attend both of the in-person sessions for their group.

Licence Validity:

Upon successful completion of the Children’s Diploma, the coach will receive a coaching licence valid for three (3) years. The licence may be maintained by following the Canada Soccer Maintenance and Renewal Process.

Admission Process:

  • Application Window: Open from January – March 31 each year. The application form will be turned off at the end of the business day on March 31. No applications received after this time will be eligible for consideration.
  • Application Review: All applicants will be screened during the months of April and May, with responses to all applicants no later than May 31.
  • Selected candidates will have thirty (30) days to accept their place on the course and pay the course fee in full. If a selected candidate rejects their place on the course, it will be offered to the next suitable candidate.

COURSE FEE: $3,150

Course Fees Include: Mentor support throughout course; access to all content delivered during the course; in-person classroom and field rentals; tools used to deliver the in-person, online asynchronous, and online synchronous sessions; and Canada Soccer branded Nike equipment (not including boots and trainers).

Additional Fees:

Coaches will be required to cover the costs of travel, accommodations, and meals when attending the in-person sessions. Any costs associated with video recording of practical coaching sessions will be at the coach’s expense.