OGHA Female Coach Program

OGHA’s Female Coach Development Program

The Ottawa Girls Hockey Association is seeking enthusiastic women and alumni to transition into bench staff roles, guiding the development of youth players. Prior experience in coaching is not mandatory; we value leadership qualities and a passion for hockey.

Our focus is on enhancing comprehension of coaching responsibilities and viewing the sport through a leadership lens. We welcome interest from former athletes, parents, and individuals committed to contributing to the hockey community.

This project aims to provide support for the upcoming generation of female mentors while expanding the female coaching presence within our association. It represents a significant chance to remain engaged with the sport and join a collaborative network of instructors.

What is the program?:

• The OGHA will put a call out to develop a roster of interested participants for this program in early Fall. It will develop a formal pathway for the program with support for aspiring female coaches. The program design and objectives will be adapted based on the number of interested participants.
• There will be off-ice and on-ice workshops on the coaching journey for participants: a coaching 101 that would talk about all aspects of the coach role, and explain the Hockey Canada coaching certification process.
• The OGHA will begin the process of developing an associate coach role for older players and recent graduates: a role where a female aspiring coach can be part of a team and see all aspects of coaching, but respecting their busy schedule and acknowledging that they may not be able to be at all team events.
• The program will help with making connections for participants to be on benches and on-ice with OGHA teams.
• The program will communicate with all competitive and house league coaches in the OGHA to provide details on the program and names of participants.

What to expect?:

• A call-out period for interested participants in the program;
• An introductory meeting / clinic on what it means to be a coach with guest speakers, in September
• Support for clinics and training (online Coach 1 and 2, Hockey Canada Instructional Series, potentially organizing a Coach Dev clinic for OGHA), and for getting a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC). Participants could request reimbursement for clinics after being registered and rostered with an OGHA team.
• Connections made with teams looking for on-ice and off-ice support, with mentor coaches.
• Other on-ice opportunities with the possibility of help with player development sessions.

Who can participate?:

• Women aged 18 years or older
• Current and former players, parents, and those interested in giving back are welcome; no hockey experience necessary! Participants do not need to be associated with an OGHA team at the initiation of the program.
• For those younger than 18 years of age, the OGHA will be establishing more opportunities to get hockey leadership experience through on-ice and off-ice support across various levels, including the Fundamentals program. More information and a general call-out for interest to come.

What information would we ask for?:

• We would ask interested participants to let us know some information about themselves, including their past hockey experience, past teams or organizations they may have been part of, and any clinics and training that they may have had in the past.
• We would also ask that participants highlight ot us what level of hockey they would prefer to be involved with.

• While the program will kick off with a call out for interested participants in early Fall, we are always looking to hear from those who may wish to be a part of it. Send us an email with your interest!"

Contacts:

Nick McCandie Glustien, Director of Development, OGHA, directordev@ogha.org 

Angie Brown, Development Coordinator, OGHA, DevCoordinator@ogha.org 

Natalie Julien, Mentor Coach, natalie4hockey@rogers.com