OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) has taken the pledge and is now a proud Champion of the Responsible Coaching Movement. By making this pledge, our sport organization is committing to implement supportive policies and processes that adhere to the Responsible Coaching Movement to ensure the safety and protection of our athletes and coaches, and provide our coaches with the tools and training necessary to model ethical behaviour.

The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that has the potential to affect all sport organizations and coaches. 

The first Phase of the RCM focuses on three key areas:

• Rule of Two

The Rule of Two serves to protect minor athletes in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring that more than one adult is present.  Vulnerable situations can include closed doors meetings, travel, and training environments.

• Background Screening

The background screening process involves using a number of different tools to ensure coaches meet the necessary security requirements to coach athletes. These tools include comprehensive job postings, criminal record checks, interviews, and reference checks.

• Respect and Ethics Training

Increasing coaches’ ethical conduct and behaviour toward athletes requires that coaches be trained to understand what it means to act ethically.  This training would include the Make Ethical Decisions module within the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), as well as training in abuse and harassment prevention, such as Respect in Sport, before and during their coaching career.

For more information on the RCM, please visit www.coach.ca/ResponsibleCoaching or email RCM@coach.ca.

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association     

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA's mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
 

James Buhlman

Program Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 301
Email: james@lacrosse.ca