Football Canada’s mentorship program returns for International Bowl in 2017
Program offers deserving coaches the chance to gain international experience
Photo credit: USA Football
In an effort to develop the next wave of Canadian coaches, Football Canada will be sending two deserving candidates to the International Bowl as apprentice coaches for the second-straight year in 2017.
One high school or club coach in addition to a second coach with university, junior, cégep or an equivalent background will gain practical experience from the national team coaching staff.
“First and foremost, we’re looking for candidates that are eager to learn and develop as coaches, not only through the apprenticeship but to supplement their education gained through the National Coaching Certification Program,” explained Football Canada manager of development, Aaron Geisler. Canada.
“Football Canada’s mentorship program is an excellent opportunity for coaches interested in high performance coaching to gain hands-on experience,” Geisler said. “The coaching and education in Canadian football continues to improve but it’s sometimes tough to gain experience at elite levels.”
The mentorship program offered at the International Bowl allows more experienced coaches to pass on their knowledge as their apprentices look to progress up the coaching ranks.
“I think by mentoring, it allows these coaches to build their résumé a little bit and learn new techniques and new schemes. “By having some of the [national team] coaches that have been doing this a long time mentor some of the newer coaches, they get to feel how they handle their business, and then they can apply that to when they move forward, and get their certification (through Football Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program),” said Windsor Lancers head coach Joe D’Amore, who served as Canada’s U19 national team offensive coordinator.
To help gain experience, the chosen apprentice coaches will participate in their national team’s meetings and practices as an observer. They will also create a practice plan each day for a specific position and have it reviewed by the coaching staff.
In 2016, Mathieu Lapierre (Trois-Rivières, Quebec) and Gordon Beattie (Halifax, Nova Scotia) participated in the program at the 2016 International Bowl.
Read about their experiences in the mentor coach series:
Part 1: Learning curve accelerated for Beattie
Part 2: Lapierre makes the most of the experience
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