Understanding Coach Credentials in Canada: NCCP, Police Checks, Safe Sport and the Rule of Two

When you look for a youth coach in BC, you'll see terms like NCCP, police check and Safe Sport. Here's what each one tells you, what it doesn't, and what the coach badges on our site mean.

What is NCCP certification?

The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) is Canada's national coach education system. The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) manages it and delivers training through national and provincial organizations in 65 sports. It has three streams:

• Community Sport: for participants who play for fun; many new coaches start here.
• Competition: for athletes developing competitive skills over the long term.
• Instruction: teaching sport-specific skills, mostly in non-competitive settings.

NCCP "trained" vs. "certified"

"Trained" means the coach took the courses. "Certified" means their coaching was also assessed. Requirements vary by sport and level. For example, Basketball BC requires competitive coaches in member clubs to reach "trained" status for their age group within a set time.

Can parents look up a coach's NCCP record?

The CAC's coach database is called the Locker. The CAC has removed the public lookup feature, and coaches now control who can see their transcript. If you want to confirm a coach's training, ask the coach to share or show their NCCP transcript from the Locker.

Criminal record check vs. vulnerable sector check

• A criminal record check (also called a police information check) looks for a person's criminal record.
• A vulnerable sector check (VSC) also checks whether the person has a record suspension (pardon) for sexual offences. It's only available for positions of trust or authority over children or vulnerable people, and it has to be requested by the hiring or volunteer organization. In BC this is usually done through the provincial Criminal Records Review Program. Fingerprints may be required, and results go to the organization that asked for them.

How often checks are renewed depends on the organization. Basketball BC requires member club coaches to have passed a criminal record check within the past five years, while Volleyball BC requires club coaches to do one every three years. Either way, a check only reflects records the system could find on the day it was issued.

Safe Sport training

The CAC offers a free, roughly 90-minute online Safe Sport Training course that anyone involved in sport can take. It covers the types and warning signs of maltreatment, how misuse of power can lead to harm, and what to do if you have a concern. Parents can take it too.

The Rule of Two

The Rule of Two is one of three pillars of the Responsible Coaching Movement, launched in 2016 by the CAC and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES). The other two pillars are background screening and ethics training.

The idea is that interactions and communication between coaches and athletes happen in settings that are open, observable and justifiable, with two responsible adults present. In practice, for families, that usually means:

• no one-on-one time in closed spaces;
• no driving a child alone;
• messages to a child go to a group or include the parent.

The UCCMS: Canada's code of conduct for sport

The Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) sets common rules for preventing maltreatment. Version 7.0 took effect on April 1, 2025, and is maintained by Sport Integrity Canada (formerly the CCES). It defines psychological, physical and sexual maltreatment, neglect, grooming and boundary transgressions, among other things. Its examples of boundary transgressions include one-on-one meetings with a minor that aren't open and observable, and private social media or text conversations with a minor.

In BC, viaSport-designated sport organizations must adopt either the BC Universal Code of Conduct or the UCCMS.

What our coach badges mean

Badges appear only for private coaches who apply to be listed on our site. There are five checks: identity, police / vulnerable sector check, Safe Sport training, NCCP, and a Rule of Two pledge.

• Each badge shows what was checked and the date it was verified.
• Police check badges expire automatically three years after the check date.
• Any check that hasn't been completed or verified is shown as "Not verified." It's never hidden.
• A badge only tells you we saw a document or received a pledge on a certain date. It isn't a guarantee. Meet the coach, watch a session and trust your own judgement.

Next steps

• Check each badge and its date on our coach profiles.
• Read our Coach Credentials and Safety page to learn how to raise a concern.
• Have a question? Ask it in our Q&A section.