Kayla Beers takes on year two of FACP

Kodiaks women’s soccer assistant coach Kayla Beers has started her second year of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP).

“The goal of the FACP is to increase access for young women to coach at a post-secondary competitive level, provide high level quality coaching mentorship, and support their professional development to facilitate their continued pursuit of coaching,” states CCAA in a media release.

“The FACP program is an incredible initiative through the CCAA to help facilitate the development of strong women leaders into the coaching profession and we are proud to have a participant be able to benefit from it,” says Todd Caughlin, Athletics & Recreation Services director at Lethbridge Polytechnic. “Kayla is an amazing candidate for the program and her second year should only help empower her even more as she progresses into the coaching community!”

Beers takes part in monthly, online sessions with FACP leaders. D Cyr, head coach of the women’s soccer team at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, was the leader in most of the online sessions. “The FACP program caters to all sports rather than just soccer, so it was nice that my leader happened to be in the same sport as myself,” says Beers. “D seemed very enthusiastic about the program and was an excellent leader. They were engaging and provided a great opportunity for all of us apprentices to connect with each other in an easy going way.”

Kodiaks assistant coach John D'Agnone continues his role as Beer’s mentor through the second year of the program. He was able to help her look at the game with an analytic approach, watching how other teams set themselves up for success against opponents. 

“The biggest evolution that I noticed, almost immediately, is how proactive and confident Kayla was in her own coaching abilities,” says D’Agnone. “She needed very little direction and wasn’t afraid to introduce a lot of her own very good ideas. The relationship ended up being more of sharing information between the two of us.’’

Beers believes the mentorship aspect of the program allows for greater discussion of tactics, training sessions and other soccer-related topics.

“I personally want my players to feel empowered and excited about their time as a Kodiak,” she says. “Hopefully, when they depart our program they want to give back to the sport and stay with it in as many ways as they can, whether that's playing in different leagues or coaching.”

The first year of the apprentice program allowed Beers to reflect upon her coaching style and the leadership she provides and address any shortcomings. She believes her strengths are in pushing her athletes to work hard while having fun at the same time. Beers has also come to realize the importance of team culture and dynamics and has designed activities to reflect those beliefs.