Club Coach Funding Framework

Introduction

Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) has been a long-term supporter of club coaches who provide a high level of technical coaching in the daily training environment (DTE), which includes fostering athletes’ physical, mental and social well-being, while developing both the technical and tactical aspects of wrestling. A key objective of club coaches is to prepare athletes for selection to WCL’s national teams and international podium performances.

Since the 1980s, various funding frameworks and criteria have been utilized to determine the level of club coach funding. As the environment continues to evolve, so does the club coach funding framework, usually corresponding with shifting strategic priorities and funding availability within a given quadrennial cycle.

This revised framework (2025-2028) outlines updated funding objectives and emphasizes a shared approach to funding responsibilities among various partners to optimize already limited resources, while also reinforcing support for varsity programs.

Future Consideration

As the environment continues to evolve, the Club Coach Funding Framework will undoubtedly need further adaptation to suit the future needs of WCL. We will continue to work together with our funding partners to ensure that we are able to provide the best possible coaching support for our athletes and our overall wrestling programs.

Funding Objectives

WCL’s funding approach is aligned with two overarching objectives:

Primary: To provide targeted coaching support to PTSO recognized wrestling clubs that demonstrate consistent performance excellence. This includes clubs with athletes who:

Regularly qualify for national teams (1s and 2s)
Are carded (nominated for Sport Canada AAP support)
Have achieved proven international results and demonstrated podium potential

Secondary: To extend coaching support to recognized varsity clubs in acknowledgement of their integral role in developing the next generation of athletes and contributing to the broader national athlete development pathway.

Framework Parameters

Tiered approach with support for three streams:
- High Performance
- Club Excellence
- Varsity (defined as a U SPORTS institution with a recognized wrestling program)
- NOTE: Clubs are only eligible to receive funding in one tier (i.e. highest).
No more than eight (8) clubs in total will be funded in the first two streams (to be re-evaluated with significant funding changes).
To respond to continued anticipated reductions in funding support from external partners and to promote Club sustainability for coaching support over the long-term, if funding is available in the future for a given year, the matching obligations are as follows:
- 2025-2026: no matching required.
- 2026-2027: 25% matching contribution (eg. matching of 1.25K for a 5K grant).
- 2027-2028: 50% matching contribution (eg. matching of 2.5K for a 5K grant).
- 2028-2029: 100% matching contribution (eg. matching of 5K for a 5K grant).
- The matching schedule will be subject to review annually to assess the club’s capacity and sustainability.
Funding allocation:
- Allocation is the same in each stream.
- Allocation is different between streams.
- Recognizing the need for stable and predictable funding, best efforts will be made to maintain the same level of funding for a two-year period, however, funding will ultimately be based on the approved budget and may vary on an annual basis.
Club coach funding support is in the form of a coaching grant, to support part-time or full-time coaching of high performance, nextgen and varsity athletes across the country.
Coach Eligibility requirements for all streams:
- active WCL licence
- signed the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP) Informed Consent Form;
- completed the NCCP Safe Sport Training Module;
- completed the NCCP MED training;
- submitted to WCL an Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC) and a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) or equivalents;
- be NCCP Competition-Development certified, or higher;
- international coaches must complete the NCCP Coaching in Canada module;
- be members in good standing with their respective PTSO and in good standing with WCL.
Club Eligibility Requirements in the HP and Club Excellence streams:
- The club must have use of a facility dedicated to wrestling training year-round;
- Located in a city with access to educational institutions;
- Proximity to international airport (within 150 km);
- Offer a DTE for males, females and other gender identities;
- Must have a Sport Science and Sport Medicine (SSSM) structure, including proximal access (reasonable distance) to facilities and practitioners for off-mat training and additional SSSM services;
- The club must have, at minimum:
  - One (1) High Performance coach (i.e. responsible for coaching high performance athletes at the Club);
  - One (1) NextGen coach (i.e. responsible for coaching NextGen athletes at the Club);
  - One (1) female coach or one coach who identifies as a female;
  - One (1) male coach or one coach who identifies as a male.
Club Eligibility Requirements in the Varsity stream:
- Located in a city with access to educational institutions;
- Offer a DTE for males, females and other gender identities;
- Access to the institution’s Sport Science and Sport Medicine (SSSM)
- At least one (1) coach who meets the coach requirements listed above.
The funding contribution may be allocated to multiple coaches at the Club, provided they meet all the coach eligibility requirements, however, it is recommended that funding be prioritized to supporting a full-time coach, if such a position is not already supported through other funding sources.
The expectation is that clubs in the HP & Club Excellence streams will compete at the Senior, U23, Junior & Cadet Canadian Championships in both Women’s Wrestling and Freestyle.
The expectation is that club coaches will make themselves available for national team assignments when necessary.
The expectation is that clubs, including athletes and coaches align with WCL values, policies and guidelines.

**Other eligibility and accountability measures for funding are specified in respective funding agreements**

Club Ranking Criteria

Clubs will be ranked using an objective scoring system based on national & international results, to be assessed every 2 years (using 4-year rolling data):

International Results:

SR world or Olympic medal (OL weight classes	SR world medal (non-OL weight classes)	U23 world medal	U20 world medal
20 points	10 points	10 points	6 points

Domestic Results:

JR Canadian Ranking	U23 Canadian Ranking	SR Canadian Ranking (non-OL weight classes)	SR Canadian Ranking (OL weight classes)
1^st place – 3 points	1^st place – 5 points	1^st place – 5 points	1^st place- 10 points
2^nd – 2	2^nd – 3	2^nd – 3	2^nd – 7
3^rd – 1	3^rd – 1	3^rd – 1	3^rd – 5

NOTE – For those athletes who have a primary daily training environment (DTE) that is outside of Canada, a factor of 0.75 will be applied to their national results. As an example, this includes athletes who are registered as students with US colleges or schools.

Other:

If an athlete changes clubs, the new club is assessed points as of the date of the approved transfer (to be confirmed by the PTSO).
HP stream – in addition to being ranked in the scoring system, the club is assessed by the High Performance Director on various elements (please see HP/Club Excellence Evaluation Template) and must be approved for funding by Own The Podium.
Club Excellence stream – ranked in the scoring system.
Varsity stream – remaining recognized varsity clubs that have not been ranked in the upper two streams.

Please refer to the Club Coach Funding Framework – Ranking Results (2022-2024). Reminder that there was no activity in 2020-2021 due to COVID.