A total of 13 first-year aspiring female coaches will participate in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) during the 2023-24 season.
The FACP, which is funded in part by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them opportunities to share in the coaching experience in the CCAA.
Leading the way is CCAA Soccer, which will feature five apprentices this year. In the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC), Katie Moniot will be mentored by Tonya Derkson at l’Université de Saint-Boniface with Les Rouges.
Derkson had the pleasure of coaching Moniot as a youth at the U13 club level and again last season, her final year with Les Rouges.
Moniot spent five seasons at Saint-Boniface, helping Les Rouges capture three consecutive MCAC Women’s Soccer championships as well as four straight Women’s Futsal titles. Last season, she was named a CCAA All-Canadian and CCAA Academic All-Canadian.
Arguably the most decorated female athlete in USB and MCAC history, Moniot will now to her attention to coaching.
“There is a true need for female coaches and specifically francophone female coaches in the sport community here in Manitoba,” she said. “I am ready to fully commit my time to the team and bettering myself as a coach and an individual through this program.”
The former co-captain at Saint-Boniface has already gained some coaching experience, having worked with the Collège Béliveau varsity girls’ soccer team. Moniot is highly intelligent, strong and demonstrates a contagious passion for the sport.
She’ll work closely with Derkson, who has had the opportunity to mentor female coaches, develop mentoring programs and lead all-female coaching certification courses with the Manitoba Soccer Association. Derkson has a strong passion for creating opportunities for women in coaching and has been a continued advocate for the mentorship of female coaches within the Manitoba and Canadian soccer landscape.
“The idea of females leading females is important because it allows the players to see a replication of the game by someone of the same gender, someone who has played in their boots,” she said.
The Women’s Soccer program at Saint-Boniface proudly features an all-female coaching staff in 2023, according to Derkson.
“My philosophy when working with coaches is to give them the tools to build their own coaching pathway, to help grow their confidence in becoming a head coach and my ultimate goal is to have one of them take my job one day,” she said.
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
