New Brunswick professional coaches are hopeful new government funding could be the catalyst to improving the performance of the province's elite amateur athletes.

Evan MacInnes said he believes new provincial funding for coaches will improve the performance of New Brunswick's athletes. (CBC)The Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport recently announced new funding worth $150,000 with the intention of boosting the quality of coaching in the province.

Evan MacInnis, the athlete service manager for the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic, said the new provincial funding may be aimed at coaches but it should improve the performance of New Brunswick's top athletes.

"Without a dedicated coach, the athletes are only going to get so far," MacInnes said.

"Having a coach is one of the major pieces in having an athlete reaching their greatest potential."

The new program will provide up to $30,000 each year for four years toward a coaching position.

The minimum salary for a coach must be $40,000, so the sports organization will have to find the additional money to pay for the coach's salary and other benefits.

Any coach receiving the provincial funds will have to work day-to-day with the athletes in the organization.

The idea of funding professional coaches came from the department's long-term plan for boosting athletics in the province.

"By hiring more full-time professional coaches, we expect that the number of athletes in a sport will increase, levels of performance will rise and an increasing number of athletes will be more successful on the regional and national level," Sport Minister Trevor Holder said in a statement on June 17.

"We have a great deal of talent in New Brunswick, and I believe this investment will help more New Brunswick athletes reach their potential."

Marc-Oliver Klag, the coach of the Fredericton Rowing Club, said it is important to ensure high-level coaches have the proper training. (CBC)Many sports organizations in New Brunswick are now preparing their proposals to qualify for the new funding.

The Fredericton Rowing Club has had to rely in the past on volunteer coaches to help its athletes train.

When Marc-Oliver Klag was hired earlier this year, he became the rowing club's only professional.

Klag said a good coach needs the right training.

"A coach needs to know a lot of things, which can't be learned by just coming down to the boathouse and yelling to the athletes, 'Hey row faster,'" Klag said.