Arizona Becomes Fifth State to Require Fundamentals of Coaching Course

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tim Flannery

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 25, 2008) - Arizona has become the fifth state to require all interscholastic coaches in their respective states to have training in the fundamentals of coaching.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association's (AIA) Legislative Council voted on March 7 to require every coach to complete the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coach Education Program or an approved equivalent. All head and assistant coaches hired before April 1, 2009, whether paid or volunteer, must complete the training before the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Coaches hired on or after April 1, 2009, have 45 days from the date of hire to complete the training.

Arizona joins California, Massachusetts, Oregon and Rhode Island in requiring all coaches to complete a fundamentals of coaching course. In addition, in Texas beginning in June 2008, all new coaches, all part-time coaches and all coaches who have been ejected from contests will be required to take the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course.

Although all coaches in Arizona can take the NFHS course or an approved equivalent, the AIA Executive Board has recommended the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course, which satisfies all requirements, including verification of completion.

"This education program is the biggest event in the history of the AIA in moving the mission forward," said Harold Slemmer, Ed.D, AIA executive director. "The NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course has a unique student-centered curriculum which supports the academic mission of interscholastic coaching."

"We salute Arizona and the other states that have made this commitment to improve coaching at the interscholastic level in the United States," said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. "The real winners are the millions of young people who participate in interscholastic sports and receive training from coaches who are grounded in the proper principles of coaching and committed to the core values of education-based athletics."

The NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course, which was started in January 2007 as the signature course of the NFHS Coach Education Program, address the following subjects: educational athletics and the role of the coach, the coach as a manager, the coach as a teacher, the coach and interpersonal skills, and the coach and physical conditioning.

Currently, 39 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Fundamentals of Coaching course to satisfy their coaching requirements or have agreed to endorse and promote the course. Five additional states are reviewing the course for adoption, while six other states have their own programs.