Softball Alberta now requires that all affiliated MINOR softball coaches, assistant coaches and managers (U19 categories and lower) complete or have completed the online Respect in Sport (RiS) certification for “Activity Leaders” which can be found HERE.
The Respect in Sport Activity Leader Program educates youth leaders, coaches, managers and officials to recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD).
Every minor coach entered in the RAMP registration platform must enter their certificate number into their RAMP profile account.
Coaches will need to take the online course and the certification will be valid for all sports. If a coach has taken RiS Activity Leader through another sport, it will be valid for softball. The certificate is valid for 3 years with Softball Alberta - upon expiration, coaches will have to take the course again.
Coaches who do not have a valid certificate will have until JUNE 1st to complete the RiS certification for “Activity Leaders”. Any coach who does not complete their RiS certification by the JUNE 1st deadline will be ineligible as a member of Softball Alberta and will be removed from the current season’s RAMP database until the course is completed.
The “certified coach on record” for a team entering a Provincial Championship that does not lead to a Western or Canadian Championship are required to be at least Community Softball Trained. Trained status is achieved by completing the Foundations of Coaching Softball Part 1, the Community Softball clinic and the Make Ethical Decisions (MED) course.
The “certified coach on record” for a team entering a Provincial Championship that leads to a Western or Canadian Championship (U15A, U17 A & AW, U19 A & B, Senior A) are required to be at least Competition Introduction Certified. Certified status is achieved by completing the Foundations of Coaching Softball Part 1 and 2, the Competition Introduction clinic, the Make Ethical Decisions (MED) course and an on-field practice evaluation.
* Exception: Intermediate A Men & Women - those categories require Community Softball*
If you are unsure of which level of training/certification you are required to have, use the Link Tools on Softball Canada’s website to help!
The Foundations of Coaching Softball courses can be found here. They are online courses that can be completed at your own pace.
The Make Ethical Decisions course can be found here. It is an online course that is completed in a virtual classroom setting at set dates and times.
For more information about each coaching pathway, including scheduled clinics, please see below: