Australian Sport Commission changes to Coaching NCAS Scheme
What was NCAS?
The National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) was an initiative of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) first developed in 1979.
Why has it been removed?
In 2012 an independent review was commissioned by the ASC to determine whether the NCAS was still meeting the needs of the sector.
The findings were clear. Since the establishment of the scheme, adult learning theories and practices have shifted, new technologies are available, participant expectations of the sport experience have changed and parental involvement in sport is different.
The ASC determined that a change in approach was required. NSOs needed to improve their capacity to independently develop and maintain their coach and official frameworks and training and support programs in accordance with current best practice.
As a result, the ASC retired the NCAS initiative which affects all funded sports within Australia.
Given only 30% of sports were utilizing the ASC NCAS resources (we were one of them), we understand this was an appropriate decision for the ACS to make.
What does this mean?
EA is still fully endorsed by the ASC as the National Sporting Organisation (NSO) for equestrian sports.
The ASC will continue to develop content and programs that assist the sport sector, including the online Community Coaching General Principles as well as presenter, assessor, mentor and coach developer resources.
In the short term it means we must remove all reference of the “NCAS” acronym from our accreditation titles.
EA is in a uniquely agile position to absorb these changes, as we are already developing a new Coaching Pathway with new titles. We expect this to be a relatively simple process for our coaches.
You can review the changes directly from the ASC website at any time HERE
So what is my accreditation title now?
For now, you simply need to remove “NCAS” from your current title, for example:
| OLD TITLE | NEW TITLE |
| EA NCAS GEneral Level 1 Coach | EA General Level 1 Coach |
I have printed advertising material – do I need to replace this now?
Where you are reasonably able to, yes.
If it has not already been done, all digital advertising material (such as Facebook advertising, websites etc.) should be updated immediately. You can access our updated 'Equestrian Australia Accredited Coach' logos HERE.
I am currently working my way through an EA coaching qualification, should I continue?
Definitely! Nothing besides the removal of “NCAS” from the title of the accreditations has changed.
These changes implemented by the ASC have no impact on any of the accreditations currently being undertaken.
Even as we develop and roll out the new Coaching Pathway later this year, everyone currently enrolled in a course will have ample time (12 months at least) to complete their course and gain recognition into the new Coaching Pathway. We are still accepting enrolments into the courses in their current format and will continue to do so until the new pathway has officially launched (which we will also notify the community about).
What about my insurance?
If you are a coach who has selected EA’s included insurance with your coaching registration, there has been no change whatsoever in relation to your insurance coverage.
Is my accreditation still internationally recognised?
Yes, through the International Group of Equestrian Qualifications (IGEQ), all EA Coaching qualifications remain recognised as normal.
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