Volunteers are the lifeblood of AYSO. To ensure the safety of both children and volunteers, each volunteer is required to take a short online training session called Safe Haven™. The Safe Haven course focuses on safety and appropriate behavior with children as well as first aid and other on-field issues. AYSO volunteers agree to an annual background check.
Becoming Safe Haven™ certified may take a few minutes of your time, but AYSO families know their children’s safety is worth it. Safe Haven™ is both a child and volunteer protection program. It was the first of its kind in youth sports.
For that reason, we require all Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Referees, Team Managers & Practice Chaperones to take Safe Haven training and recommend it to everyone else in our region. We should all be cognizant of procedures that will help ensure the safety of our children.
Coaches, Assistant Coaches & Referees will also have additional coach or referee training clinics offered by our region. Those clinics are designed to be quick, easy, and fun to take – even for those with no prior soccer experience at all. Everyone is welcome to attend those clinics, even if you don’t intend to coach or referee this season. See the coach or referee pages of this website for more information. (links below)
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION
1. Go to InLeague and register as a volunteer.
The pre-registration form for volunteers is required by child protection policies implemented by AYSO and many other youth sports organizations. All adult volunteers are required to register annually (this means EVERY YEAR) with AYSO National through our InLeague website.
New volunteers to our region should click on the “Register as a New User” button and follow the instructions on the subsequent pages to become an AYSO VOLUNTEER. When asked, you are in AYSO Section 1, Area P, Region 20.
Returning volunteers need to do this each year, as well. Click on Log In, and use the e-mail address and password you originally signed in with.
Volunteers are NOT covered under AYSO insurance without registration as a volunteer
2. Obtain/Activate your AYSO ID Number for this season.
All volunteers are assigned one AYSO ID number for their career with AYSO. Even if you already have an AYSO ID number, you will need to go through both steps 1&2 to activate it for this season.
SAFE HAVEN CERTIFICATION
Take the brief online Safe Haven course (approximately 35-45 minutes).
All AYSO volunteers need only complete the Safe Haven course once in their AYSO career. While logged in to InLeague, click on the “graduation cap” icon in the upper corner, which will take you to eTrainU/AYSOU our online education tool. Click Training Library, and then Safe Haven Courses, and take the AYSO’s Safe Haven course. Here, you can also find the Sudden Cardiac Arrest course, the CDC Concussion Awareness course, and SafeSport link which are required for all volunteers working directly with the players (Coaches, Referees, Team Managers).
Once you’ve completed the course, print your certificate of completion. Coaches & Referees should show their certificate at their in-person training clinic. You will not be allowed to participate in a Coach or Referee clinic without proof that you have completed Safe Haven. Everyone should keep their certificate on file, in case it is ever requested in the future.
*ABOUT SAFE HAVEN: The child protection aspect is intended to prevent child abuse, promote education and awareness, enforce policies and screen and train volunteers. It includes proactive steps that promote a positive, healthy environment for children.
Volunteer protection comes into play as a result of volunteer training, certification and continuing education. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified and act in accordance with a written job description. Safe Haven includes these three elements, giving volunteers the highest degree of protection available under the law.