Youth football coaches and officials aren't the only ones taking advantage of USA Football's Certified Education Programs. Coaches and officials in the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) are also undergoing the training provided by the independent non-profit's online courses.
The IWFL kicked off its season on April 11, and soon 200-300 coaches will have completed the Certified Coaching Education Program (CCEP). There are also an estimated 300-400 officials that will spend time going through the Certified Officiating Education Program (COEP).
League President and CEO Laurie Frederick said the goal is to have everyone certified within the first week of the season if possible.
"We're requiring all coaches to have a minimum of Level 1 completed, and we're requiring our head coaches to have a Level 2 certification," said Frederick, a founding member of the league that was formed in 2000. "We are requiring officials to complete at least the beginning level and also the four- and five-man crews since most of them work in these numbers."
Elements focused on by the CCEP include coaching philosophy, practice planning and communication. The course also covers football fundamentals, including proper blocking and tackling techniques.
USA Football's COEP is a comprehensive video and computer-animated online curriculum with narration covering officiating philosophy, rule interpretations, mechanics, crew coordination and signals.
Standardization is often one of the main factors in securing a coaching education course, and Frederick said it was no different for the IWFL.
"We have a lot of really great coaches in the league," she said. "We certainly don't want to interfere with style, but having at least a standard foundation for how some of our teams are run and how we look at our coaching staff - that's really beneficial in our mind."
Since the IWFL began in 2000 with just four teams, the league has flourished immensely and now boasts 2,500 registered players on 51 teams - 47 active and four expansion teams that are preparing to play in 2010.
The teams range from Seattle to Boston and are also broken up into two levels - Tier 1 is for professional teams in larger markets such as Chicago and Dallas, while Tier 2 is for minor league teams in smaller markets including High Point, N.C., and Kenosha, Wis. But despite which market each team is in, Frederick said it is important that the coaches remain focused on sportsmanship and safety, which were two of the founding principles when the league was first established.
"A lot of our coaches and assistants do often start as volunteers for our teams, so some of them have stepped up because the women need some extra assistance," Frederick said. But some of those volunteers haven't had any formal coaching training, so this would kind of be a stepping stone for them.
"For those who do have a lot of experience, this really is a good refresher. The sportsmanship and the focus on the fundamentals are really important things that USA Football promotes."
USA Football and the IWFL will continue to work together in the future to improve the game for women and girls interested in taking the field. The two organizations are looking into establishing the first girls' tackle football teams around the country, and the certifications will be required for these teams as well. Frederick believes the education programs will be a great benefit for all players, coaches and officials involved - no matter what level of play.
"We were in the process of developing our own coaching and officiating standards, and when we looked at USA Football, we realized that our philosophies really were parallel," Frederick said. "It doesn't matter if you're talking about a youth team, or a professional team, sportsmanship is sportsmanship and safety is safety."
