Coaching Clearance Process

STEPS FOR BECOMING A COACH

1. Determine if you have the time to dedicate to the season
2. Register yourself as a volunteer in your family Sports Connect account. 
3. Obtain required clearances (see below)
4. Upload Clearances into your Sports Connect account
5. Complete Grassroots online training course
6. Attend pre-season Coaches Meeting

**You must register to coach every season AND update clearances as they expire**

**Background checks need to be updated every 5 years**

• Select “New Volunteer Record Check” (this one is free to process, the other options are not- choose carefully)

• Complete the required information.

• Once your record request is processed, a “Record Check Details” page is opened. This is only a receipt and not acceptable as a clearance. Click on “Certification” to access your official clearance. Please retain this copy for your records.

Call 1-888-783-7972 If You Have Problems

• Click “Create Individual Account” and create a new Keystone ID before you begin your application if you are a new user. You will receive a temporary password sent to the email address provided. Follow the prompts to apply and obtain your clearances. You will either have immediate access to your results or the status of your results, if your results cannot be processed immediately.

• Please retain a copy for your records.

If you HAVE lived in PA for the last 10 years, you are eligible to complete the ACT 153 Volunteer Waiver

If you HAVE NOT lived in PA for the past 10 years, complete the FBI History Check by doing the following:

Click Below to Obtain an FBI Fingerprint Clearance. The service code to apply for volunteer fingerprinting is 1KG6ZJ. You will need to make an appointment for fingerprinting at an approved location (most use the UPS store in the shopping center on McKnight Rd & Siebert)

**Please note there is a fee associated with obtaining your fingerprints and Shaler Soccer Club does not reimburse**

If this is your first season coaching, create and account and complete the approximately 90-minute course called “SafeSport Trained- US Soccer Federation. Please make your account using the same name and the same format as your Sports Connect account so the certificate will automatically be synced to your account.

If you are a returning coach, you need to complete a 20-minute refresher course every year. Log into your SafeSport account, go to your dashboard, select Catalog and choose one of the 3 Safesport Refresher courses every year until you have completed them all and then on year 5 you will need to start over with the 90-minute course again. Save your certificate of completion for the course you completed to upload to your Sports Connect account if it is not automatically synced to your account.

A quick 20 minute online video required for any coach who doesn't have a higher level license.

Once you have completed the background checks and Safesport training, upload the certificates to PA West’s Risk Management Website by doing the following: 

• Log in using Affinity ID and password for coaching registration (or create a login if this is your first season coaching)
• Click on Create Registration
• PA Background check will be highlighted – click Continue
• You will see your name and any other family members – click Continue
• Click on Register as Coach/Admin next to YOUR name at top
• At Drop Down Box under Play Level click Background Check (it is the only option)
• Under Personal Information section click on box that says “click here to show photo or certification upload”
• Boxes will appear: The first is for a headshot (this is especially important if you are coaching U10 and up, please do not skip this step). The other 4 boxes are to upload proof of your background checks and SafeSport certificate.

Please make sure that you place each document in the appropriate box or PA West will not approve you

Once you have uploaded the documents and completed all the other required fields, click SAVE bottom of page.

PA-West will review and if everything is in order, you will be approved, if there is anything wrong or questionable with the documents, Tim McCoy from PA West will email you directly with what needs to be corrected. If everything is in order and he can approve you, you will not hear anything from him.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!

While not required to coach with Shaler Soccer, the courses offered online via US Soccer and PA West are provided to equip volunteer parent-coaches with the background information and tools needed to be successful youth coaches. This is an excellent opportunity to increase your knowledge and capabilities, both in the technical and tactical aspects of the game. It is also necessary to keep our club strong, growing and providing the best overall experience for our players and their families.

The training sessions include both classroom and on-field training, targeted to the special abilities and needs of age-specific players.

**Candidates must create a profile in the US Soccer Digital Coaching Center (many of you already have one): http://dcc.ussoccer.com. Please note: when creating your profile in the DCC please make sure your name, birth date, and email address match your PA West Soccer Online Registration Admin Profile. This will allow the two systems to sync and your license to be automatically added to your Admin Profile.

** Once you have access to the registration, select the course that you would like to attend and click on that course.

As an added incentive, Shaler Soccer will reimburse any parent-coach with a license above the basic grassroots license 100% of their family's registration fees each season you coach.