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Ontario Soccer Helps Facilitate First In-person, All-female C-License Course in the Province

By staff, 11/16/22, 2:30PM EST

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Play. Inspire. Unite.

Ontario Soccer was pleased to help Guelph Soccer with the facilitation of the first ever, all-female C-License in-person session in Ontario.

The C-License session was the culmination of year one of Guelph Soccer’s She's Got Game - She Can Coach project, which helped grow the number of female role models in the Ontario soccer community by over 50 trained coaches.

Canada Soccer Coach C Licence is the entry-level course for the Licensing Stream pathway and prepares the coach to progress to the Development Stream (Children or Youth) or Performance Stream (Senior). The C Licence involves the facilitation of learning opportunities for the coach to develop an understanding of the coaching process.

Now in year two of a three-year initiative, She's Got Game - She Can Coach, stemmed from the thought of “why not?' when it comes to Women in Sport. The project aims to empower and support women, in overcoming any barriers in coaching and in the sport. Free education, free gear, childcare at soccer games, virtual check-ins, socials, and interaction with industry leaders; are just a few ways in which the project contributes to the holistic development of potential female coaches.

The project is being spearheaded by dedicated and passionate women at Guelph Soccer such as Program Manager Caitlin Dunsmore.

“We hope that by increasing the number of female role models in our sport they are able to attract and retain more girls and women who participate,” said Ms. Dunsmore. “Having more women role models in sport mean more familiar faces for young girls to identify with and more familiar faces for young boys to learn from and respect.

Sport has the power to change lives, and to defy and modify societal norms for the better. It is now time for the frequently heard Why Not? to change to How?”

Sue Herring, a coach developer with Ontario Soccer and Canada Soccer involved with the project, also had very positive things to say about it.

“Having such courses is so important for developing female coaches,” said Ms. Herring. “In all my experiences, I have been the only, or one of a few female coaches on a male dominated course with all, or mostly male instructors. This is difficult as you feel you are being judged, and it can put you off from stepping up to coaches or speaking up in discussions. The females in this course seemed much more confident and relaxed being in an all female environment. Also, having female players to work with on the day, and for them to see so many female coaches showed the pathways that are available to them.”

The overall aim of the project is to provide an inclusive, safe environment for girls and women to play and grow in the sport, and in turn, create a transferable model that can be replicated by a sports organization anywhere in the country. 

Click here to learn more and join the initiative.