BC government declares Coaches Week in the province

The British Columbia government has announced the week of September 23-30 as B.C. Coaches Week.

The week is to recognize the impact of the over 10,000 coaches in the province.

In a statement, the B.C. government describes the work coaches do as not only a contribution to an athlete’s performance, but also to provide motivation, support, and work ethic.

“Coaches have an incredible impact on all aspects of an athlete’s career from introducing a new sport, to bringing out the inherent skills of a player to teaching the importance of teamwork on and off the field,” says Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism. “B.C. has incredible coaches that are recognized at all levels of sport. #Thankscoach”

A total of 146 medals were brought back to B.C. at the 2017 Canada Games, the largest number of medals ever received. A large part of that is the quality of the coaches, says the government.

With support from the Province, viaSport is working with its partners to strengthen B.C.’s amateur sport system and coach development.

Over the last year, the Province invested over $235,000 through viaSport to support coach development through subsidized coaching courses, professional development opportunities, and grants.

“Passionate and qualified coaches who are committed to the physical, social and technical development of their athletes have a positive and lasting impact on the people they work with,” says viaSport CEO, Sheila Bouman. “They have the ability to shape important lessons that allow people to thrive, both in sport and in life.”

To celebrate British Columbia Coaches Week, viaSport has organized a number of activities to celebrate, train and recognize coaches throughout the province including:

• A call to all British Columbians involved in sport to submit a video showing a small act of appreciation for your coach – the winning entry will be awarded $750 towards team expenses.
• Offering multisport National Coaching Certification programs at reduced rates to develop technical, leadership and mentoring skills for new and experienced coaches throughout British Columbia.

To learn more about Coaches Week and how to get involved, click here.