Coach's Guide to Aboriginal Sport Circle Aboriginal Coaching Program 2026

The Aboriginal Coaching Modules (ACM) are a training curriculum developed by the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) through a multi-year consultative process and launched in 2003. They responded to an identified need for a national coach training curriculum that reflects the uniqueness of Indigenous culture, values and lifestyles.

• Who they are for: originally designed for coaches of First Nation, Métis and Inuit heritage, the modules now also include non-Indigenous coaches working within Indigenous communities and with Indigenous people.
• How they fit with the NCCP: the ACM is designed to complement the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) certification process. It is a professional development training tool for all coaches who coach Indigenous athletes.
• Purpose: the ASC developed the training material to educate Indigenous people about the value of the NCCP and encourage their participation in it.

The Aboriginal Coaching Modules (ACM) have three learning modules, all delivered as in-class workshops:

1. Module 1: Holistic Approach to Coaching: 3 hours.
2. Module 2: Dealing with Racism in Sport: 2 hours.
3. Module 3: Individual and Community Health and Wellness: 2 hours.

The Aboriginal Sport Circle says the modules are typically completed in a one-day workshop, but can be provided separately on request. The NAIG Sport Technical Package lists the ACM as a 7-hour in-person classroom course.

Aboriginal Coaching Module 1, Holistic Approach to Coaching, is an in-class workshop of 3 hours. The Aboriginal Sport Circle says it covers:

• creating a positive coaching environment,
• the Medicine Wheel, a holistic approach to coaching that embraces the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual,
• the Four Pillars value system, and
• how to create constructive coach-to-community relationships.

The Aboriginal Coaching Program as a whole is built around a cultural platform meant to engage coaches and empower them to make a positive, lasting impact in their roles and in their communities.

Module 2: Dealing with Racism in Sport (in-class workshop, 2 hours). It addresses racism in sport, including:

• defining racism, with a lexicon for discussing it,
• risk monitoring, assessment, analysis and mitigation, and
• situational learning and application.

Module 3: Individual and Community Health and Wellness (in-class workshop, 2 hours). It focuses on the unique lifestyle, health situations and challenges Indigenous people may face. Topics include:

• understanding the community where you coach,
• mental health and sport,
• personal and community health practices,
• diet and nutrition,
• health conditions and diseases, and
• influencing change.

To take the Aboriginal Coaching Modules or host a workshop for your organization, contact the representative for your province or territory listed by the Aboriginal Sport Circle:

For anything else about the Aboriginal Coaching Program, contact the Aboriginal Sport Circle office at ascoffice@aboriginalsportcircle.ca, 613-518-8353 or toll free 1-855-814-4574.

Yes, for the 2023 NAIG (the latest Sport Technical Package published by the NAIG Council). All Canadian delegations' coaches had to complete these courses, in addition to the sport-specific requirements, to be eligible:

The NAIG Governing Rules also say the NAIG Council adopted NCCP certification standards for all Canadian coaching staff. Coaches must be fully trained to the level set for their sport, age category and position, and a coaches list with each coach's certification number and a copy of their Coach Canada Locker page had to be submitted to the NAIG Council Executive by July 1, 2023.

A contingent can request an exemption for a coach in exceptional circumstances, such as certification not being available in the coach's language (for example French) or not being available in the province or territory or online.

The ACM Learning Facilitator Training (ACMLFT) is a multi-step program for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who want to become accredited Learning Facilitators able to lead the Aboriginal Coaching Modules.

To take part you must:

• be of First Nation, Métis or Inuit heritage,
• have completed the Aboriginal Coaching Modules (ACM), and
• be endorsed by your Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Body (PTASB).

The course involves:

• Core Learning Facilitator training.
• ACM training workshops.
• Co-facilitating an ACM (the program lists co-facilitation as part of becoming an accredited Learning Facilitator).
• A final evaluation by a Master Coach Developer (MCD).

Successful trainees are certified to deliver the ACM to participants. The training is based wherever possible on Indigenous perspectives of learning, and Learning Facilitators add their own perspectives gained from working with the training material.

The Aboriginal Apprentice Coach Program (AACP) is a partnership between the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), the Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies (PTASBs), the Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representatives (PTCRs), the Canada Games Council and the Coaching Association of Canada.

• What it offers: each province and territory can send two coaches of First Nations, Métis and Inuit ancestry to the Canada Games in apprentice coach roles. The next Canada Summer Games are in Québec City, Québec in 2027.
• Objectives: build coaching capacity within Indigenous communities, give apprentices multi-sport games exposure, provide professional development so they can reach at least Competition - Development, Trained in NCCP (completing the training within 12 months after the Games), expose them to elite and high-performance coaches, and prepare them for a meaningful role at the Games.
• 2027 apprentices: the ASC has named apprentice coaches from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, in sports including hockey, karate, figure skating, cross-country skiing, gymnastics, alpine skiing, wheelchair basketball, judo, badminton, archery, speed skating and table tennis.

The Indigenous Community Coach Apprenticeship Program (ICCAP) is backed by the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the NAIG Host Society, the NAIG Council, the Coaching Association of Canada, the Provincial/Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies and the Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representatives. They hold that apprenticeship programs are an essential part of developing a coach and can attract and support under-represented groups in coaching, such as female and Indigenous coaches.

The program gives up to two Indigenous coaches from each province and territory the chance to develop their coaching skills by working at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

Objectives:

• Build coaching capacity within Indigenous communities.
• Give Indigenous apprentice coaches exposure to a domestic multi-sport games.
• Provide professional development and learning so they are prepared for high-level coaching and lift their NCCP certification to at least Competition - Development, Trained. Apprentices complete this training within 12 months after the Games.
• Expose apprentices to elite and high-performance coaches.
• Prepare them for a meaningful role at the NAIG.

The ASC page lists the 2023 apprentice coaches by province and territory, covering sports such as archery, volleyball, softball, basketball, soccer, swimming, badminton, beach volleyball, wrestling.

Each year the Aboriginal Sport Circle presents the "National Coaching Award for Indigenous Excellence in Sport" to one woman and one man identifying Indigenous coach who shows exemplary integrity in their approach to coaching. The 2026 awards were presented at the 2026 National Indigenous Sports Gala (October 2026), where Victoria Marchand and Dale Bear were named recipients.

Prizes: an all-expenses-paid round trip with a guest to the Awards Gala, a custom-made National Indigenous Coaching Award and a $1,500 bursary for coaching professional development.

Eligibility (2026 program year, May 31, 2025 to May 31, 2026):

• The nominee must be Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis).
• They must have been actively involved in their sport during that year.
• They must demonstrate sportsmanship, fair play and ethics in sport.
• A nomination package had to be submitted to the Aboriginal Sport Circle on or before July 10, 2026.

What a nomination includes: the nominee's details and sport(s), years coaching, the highest level coached (community through international), 4 to 5 high-resolution photos of them coaching, and a narrative with testimonials showing their commitment to coach development, a positive image as an Indigenous coach, and a holistic lifestyle balancing the physical, mental, cultural and spiritual.

The Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) wants Indigenous participants to experience physical, psychological and cultural safety in every part of sport, and treats safe sport as a shared responsibility with its Provincial and Territorial Aboriginal Sport Bodies, partners and communities.

• ASC is a signatory to the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) and has adopted the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment (UCCMS).
• Through its partnership with Sport Integrity Canada, ASC commits to implementing safe sport in a culturally respectful, trauma-informed way that responds to the needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis participants.
• Reporting: if you have experienced, witnessed or become aware of behaviour that may violate the UCCMS, report it to Sport Integrity Canada through the Canadian Safe Sport Program, online or by phone at 1-866-971-2777. You may choose to remain anonymous.
• Independent Third Party: you can contact ASC's Independent Third Party at itp@wwdrs.ca. It offers a confidential, impartial process for receiving concerns, explaining options and guiding you through the complaint process, and it operates independently of ASC.
• ASC's safe sport policies are available on request from ascoffice@aboriginalsportcircle.ca.