How to become a coach, trainer, or on-ice helper

Helping on the bench or on the ice is a great way to get close to the action and give back to the community.

Being a Coach, trainer, or on-ice helper does require that you complete a few online courses, and obtain a Police Vulnerable Security Check. This page should provide all the details you need to complete your certification.

Note that the fees for the courses will be reimbursed by Ancaster Minor Hockey, but the Police VS check is not covered. 

Before you begin — please first submit an application form to give us a heads up that you are interested in getting involved.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to our Director of Coach and Player Development.

Hockey Canada and the OMHA have a list of requirements that must be met for volunteers in order to participate. These requirements are in place to ensure all kids playing hockey across the country get a safe and consistent experience to matter what age or skill level.

The full list of requirements can be found on the OMHA Team Official Qualification Requirements. The document has a lot of details and can be difficult to follow so the details are summarized below.

All Bench Staff and On-ice Volunteers

1. Respect in Sport - Activity Leader
2. Gender Identity and Expression
3. Police Vulnerable Security Check (2022 or newer).

Head Coach & Assistant Coach

U9 and Younger

1. Hockey Canada Coach 1

U11 and Older

1. Hockey Canada Skills - Checking
2. Hockey Canada Coach 2

Trainers

1. HTCP Level 1

How to Complete Your Courses

Links to all of the required courses are provided in the sections above. Once a course is completed it will automatically appear in your Hockey Canada profile so there's no need to share confirmation emails or certificates.

How do I confirm which courses I've already completed?

The courses which you have completed will automatically appear in your Hockey Canada profile. You can view these by following these steps:

1. Login to your Spordle account. This is the same account you used to register any players.
2. On the Members tab, if you do not see your detailed profile, you may need to add yourself as an additional member. i.e. You will be listed twice.
3. The Qualifications tab should list all of the courses you have completed.

If you run into any issues finding these details, please reach out to our Registrar, Heather Bar.

Police Vulnerable Sector Check

For the 2024-25 season, the OHF (Ontario Hockey Federation) has updated the requirements and process for submitting a Police Vulnerable Sector Check. Details can be found on our Police Checks page.

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Certification Obtained Outside the OMHA

If you have obtained a coach or trainer certification with an association outside of the OMHA, please complete the Application for Conversion/Upgrade of Certification form and forward it to the OMHA so that your certifications can be added to your Hockey Canada Registration (HCR) system record.