Football Canada’s Mentorship Program Returns for the 2018 International Bowl

By  Ameeta Vohra

Program offers deserving coaches the chance to gain international experience

We’re on the hunt for the next great coaches in our nation!

For the third consecutive year, Football Canada will be giving an opportunity for two deserving candidates to serve as apprentice coaches during the 2018 International Bowl.

Overall, the goal is to provide a mentorship opportunity where the two selected candidates will gain valuable experience from the National Junior Team coaching staff.

“Having the ability at the International Bowl to provide valuable opportunities to coaches in the community looking to further their learning is so important,” explained Aaron Geisler, Football Canada’s Manager of Development.  “Working with our national team and learning from high performance coaches is an amazing experience for both the mentee and the experienced coaches.

Each of the two candidates will be selected among different categories.  One will be chosen from the high school and club pool while the other will come from the university, CJFL, CEGEP or equivalent background.

During the International Bowl, both selected candidates will act as observers during team practices and meetings.  Additionally, each will craft a daily practice plan for a certain position, which will be reviewed and evaluated by the coaching staff.

In 2017, Scott O’Neal (Sackville, New Brunswick) and Alex Surprenant (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) were selected for this mentorship program.

“The mentorship program was an amazing experience as it allowed me to be part of the entire process just as if I was on the coaching staff,” reflected O’Neal of his time with the program.  “The coaching staff was very open to sharing their knowledge and experiences with me which allowed me to gain invaluable knowledge and coaching skills in a very short period of time.”

“I was able to take that knowledge back to my provincial and high school program back home. I highly recommend the mentorship program for any coach who wants to become a better coach.”

JP Asselin, Offensive Coordinator of the Carleton Ravens, had the opportunity to share his wealth of experience and knowledge with Surprenant at last year’s International Bowl.

Overall, he said the opportunity is invaluable for a couple of main reasons.

“The mentorship program is great on two fronts,” he elaborated.  “One it helps the team Canada staff prepare the players better, no doubt about it.”

“From the mentee point of view, it is a great opportunity to learn how other coaches work without having a concrete role or responsibility. Not having a coordinator or position specific responsibility is a great advantage for the mentee since he can really learn from all the coaches on staff, not just from special teams, defence or offence. Coaches at the highest level do it all the time; trying to go get new ideas from other coaches.”

Moreover, this mentorship provides such a unique approach to learning about the game that candidates cannot get elsewhere.  If the goal of a coach is to refine their skills and build their game plans, then they should not miss out on this chance to learn from some of the best in the game.

“I see this program has the best professional development a coach can have in the sense that it is way more in-depth than a presentation or anything you would get at a coaches clinic since you are emerging within the schemes and coaching philosophy of the coaching staff,” expressed Asselin.  “Mentees will take back what they like and ignore what they don’t see as a fit for their program, but any serious coaches would love this opportunity.”

Football Canada encourages interested coaches to apply for this unique opportunity to learn from the some of the best coaches in the nation on an international stage. Deadline for applications is November 1^st, 2017.  For more information on this opportunity or to apply simply click below.

This post is also available in: French