There are two types of volunteers within AYSO:

• Volunteers that work with or around children on a regular basis (Coaches, Referees, Team Managers) or have access to registration information (most Board members). This page is focused on the training/certification requirements for this group.
• Volunteers that do not typically work around children or don't have access to any system information (e.g. Fields Liners, Goal Setup). These volunteers do not have to go through any of the trainings or certifications listed below.

All volunteers in the first group (Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Referee, Division Official, Team Manager, and most Board members) are required to go through a set of common certifications per AYSO and state guidelines. The certifications and directions on how to access them are listed below.

IMPORTANT: When you signup to be a volunteer, you MUST enter your name as it appears on your Government issued ID (drivers license, passport, etc.). If your name doesn't match what's on your ID, the background checks will fail. If your name is different and you haven't submitted your application for a background check or fingerprinting, you can edit your information before submitting.

1. Risk Status (aka Background Check): This is done through an external vendor (Sterling Volunteers) for AYSO National and is typically valid for about 15 months. When you signed up for one of the background checked volunteer roles and if you hadn't completed a background check with any AYSO program within the past year, you should have received an email from Sterling Volunteers ([email protected]) with a link to their website to start the background check process. If you didn't receive the email (check your spam folder), follow these instructions:
   1. Login to your account at www.ayso216.org
   2. Click on the 'Volunteer' tab on the left side
   3. In the 'Certification' area of the page, click on the check box for the 'Risk Status' row and then click on the 'Renew & Update' button
   4. On the popup, verify and update (if needed) your information and click on the 'Submit' button
   5. Click on the 'Submit' button on the next page asking you to confirm that you want to initiate a background check
   6. The next popup will say the background check request has been submitted, so click on the 'Continue' button
   7. Check your email for an email from 'American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)' where the actual email address should be '[email protected]'. If you don't see it in your inbox, CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER. Their emails almost always gets caught in the spam folder.
   8. There should be a link in the email to the Sterling Volunteers website where you can create an account (if this is your first time), or login with your credentials (if you are renewing a background check).
   9. Once logged in, follow the instructions through the process. On the final page, there will be a payment option. Note that AYSO Region 216 will pay the background check fee (you can select the 'Not at this time' check box for this option). However, if you would like to help defray the cost to AYSO Region 216, you have the option to pay the $25 background check fee yourself.
   10. Once you have completed the background check process, you will receive another email confirming your submission of the background check fee. If you had paid for the background check fee yourself, this email will also serve as your receipt. It will typically take a few business days for the background check process to complete. You can check on the status by going to the 'Volunteer' tab from your account at www.ayso64.org and checking the status of the 'Risk Status' line item.
   
   Note that you have not successfully submitted your background check until:
   • You find the Sterling email and click the link (this email could potentially be in your SPAM FOLDER)
   • You validate your information in the Sterling Volunteers website and submit your personal information
   • You will see a Congratulations! message and receive a final email from Sterling stating, "You Did It!"


2. Fingerprinting: This is a requirement by the State of California. IN ARIZONA WE DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS!!
   
   
3. Concussion Awareness: this is an online class taken on the ASYO Training website. See instructions below on how to access this training.


4. Sudden Cardiac Arrest: this is an online class taken on the ASYO Training website. See instructions below on how to access this training.


5. AYSO Safe Haven: this is an online class taken on the ASYO Training website. See instructions below on how to access this training.


6. SafeSport: This is a requirement based on an expansion of the 2017 Safe Sport Act. This is an online class provided by an external vendor. To access this training, follow these instructions:
   1. Login to your account at www.ayso216.org
   2. Click on the 'Volunteer tab on the left side
   3. In the section marked 'Important information from AYSO', click on the down arrow to the right of this text.
   4. In the expanded section, you should see a link in the 'SafeSport' section which will take you to the vendor's website to complete this training. There are also additional details on how to take the other training/certifications on this page. Note that you will need to create an account with the SafeSport training vendor in order to continue.
   5. When you click on the SafeSport training link for the first time, you will see a 'Sign Up' page to create an account. Most of the fields should be self-explanatory, but for the 'Name of Sport or Community Organization Required' field, enter 'AYSO'.
   6. When you successfully login to get to the Safe Sport home page, scroll down to the section titled 'My Courses'. There, you should see a course titled 'SafeSports Trained - U.S. Soccer Federation'. Click on the 'Start' button to start this course.

AYSO Training Website
To access the AYSO Training website to take the Concussion Awareness,
Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and AYSO Safe Haven online classes, follow these steps:

• Login to your account at www.ayso216.org
• Click on the 'Volunteer' tab on the left side.
• Under your name, click on the 'AYSOU' button.
• You should now be taken to and automatically logged in to the AYSO training website.
• Click on the 'Training Library' link on the left side.
• IMPORTANT: Click on the blue 'View Courses' button in the 'Safe Haven' section. All the required courses are within this section, even if they are not Safe Haven-related. Here, you will see links to the following online versions of the courses you will need to take:
  • AYSO's Safe Haven - Online
  • CDC Concussion Awareness - Online
  • Sudden Cardiac Arrest - Online
• Click on the blue 'Enroll' button to take each respective online course

AYSO Coach Training
All AYSO Coaches must take the relevant coach training courses for the age group they will be coaching. Training for 6U and 8U Coaches can all be done online. There's an option to do these in-person as well, but it is dependent on scheduling availability. Training for 10U+ consists of an online training course plus a mandatory in-person coach training session. To access the AYSO Coach Training online courses, follow these steps:

• Login to your account at www.ayso216.org
• Click on the 'Volunteer' tab on the left side
• Under your name, click on the 'AYSOU' button
• You should now be taken to and automatically logged in to the AYSO training website
• Click on the 'Training Library' link on the left side
• Click on the blue 'View Courses' button in the 'Coaching' section. All the required online coaching courses are within this section.
• Click on the blue 'Enroll' button to take online Coach Training course relevant to the age group that you will be coaching.

If you have any questions on VOLUNTEER positions, please contact our CVPA Heidi at [email protected] or our REGISTRAR Beth at [email protected]