There are two types of volunteers within AYSO:

• Volunteers that work with or around children on a regular basis (Coaches, Referees and Team Managers if supervising team) 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 (Fields Liners, Goal Setup) are called Team Volunteers and are not required to be certified.

How to Sign Up
All volunteers in the first group must sign-up in ayso44.org:

1. Login to (or create) your account at www.ayso44.org. If volunteer is not the same person that registered the player or does not have a player in the program, the volunteer needs to create their own www.ayso44.org account!
2. In the top right drop-down there is an Account link which takes you to a page with MY ACCOUNT, CALENDAR, VOLUNTEER, MY ORDER options
3. Click on the 'VOLUNTEER' tab on the left side and click the blue add 'Volunteer' button:
4. 
5. Select the Volunteer role. If you do not see a role/division you may need to click the 'Show All Available Opportunities' button at the bottom of the page.
6. Enter your information and read/accept waivers and agreements.
7. After completing the sign-up look for an email from [email protected] (check spam folder if you don't receive it) to start your background check.
   

Certification and Training
All volunteers that work directly with players (Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Referees and Board members) are required to go through various levels of certifications per various AYSO and state guidelines. These certifications are:

1. Sterling Background Check: This is done through an external vendor (Sterling Volunteers) for AYSO National. When you signed up for one of the background checked volunteer roles, 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, or you would prefer not to click on a link in an email, follow these instructions:
   1. Login to your account at www.ayso44.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 required) 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
2. AYSO Safe Haven: this is an online class taken on the ASYOU Training website located in Volunteers section of www.ayso44.org click the AYSOU link which will take you to the AYSOU Training Website (you may need to refresh once if the AYSOU button does not appear the first time.
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4. In the AYSOU Training Website click the Training Library to find courses. The first course you should take is AYSO's Safe Haven 2022 under Courses in Safe Haven:
5. 
6. Concussion Awareness: this is an online class taken on the ASYOU Training website under Courses in Safe Haven.
7. Sudden Cardiac Arrest: this is an online class taken on the ASYOU Training website under Courses in Safe Haven.
8. 
9. SafeSport: This is a new requirement based on an expansion of the 2017 Safe Sport Act for 2022. This is an online class provided by an external vendor. To access this training, follow these instructions: https://wiki.ayso.org/wiki/Register_for_Safesport
   
10. Fingerprinting (one-time only): This is a new requirement by the State of California. You will need to register for an AYSO-hosted fingerprinting event (check with [email protected] for schedule) or get fingerprinted at a participating UPS store. Fingerprinting is not a prerequisite to accessing AYSOU so you can continue to step 3. Follow these instructions to signup for in-person event:
    1. In-person Fingerprinting
       
       1. Go to https://www.applicantservices.com/AYSO-BILLED and click on the big red 'Get Fingerprinted at a Sponsored AYSO Event' button
       2. On the 'User Validation' popup, enter your email and click 'Proceed'
       3. Check your email for the one-time access security code from [email protected], type the code into the website (Do not copy and paste the access code), then click “Proceed”.
       4. Enter all necessary Transaction information into the form, then click “Next”.
       5. Enter all necessary Applicant Information into the form, then click “Next”.
       6. Enter the city or zip code for the location of the event, then click “Search”.
       7. Scroll down and find your event, then click the “Schedule Appointment” button.
       8. Select the date of the event on the calendar and a time from the list, then click “Next”.
       9. Watch the Instruction Video, if necessary, then click “Next”.
       10. Payment is covered by your Agency for sponsored events only, click “Next” if necessary.
       11. You will receive an email with a QR Code and/or a Payment ID. Keep this email with codes available on your phone or other electronic device when you arrive at the live scan fingerprinting event. If you do not have access to a phone or equivalent electronic device, you must print your form by selecting the “Print Form” button.
       12. Arrive at the event on the day and time you selected. Present your QR Code and/or Payment ID as well as a valid government-issued photo ID to get fingerprinted.
       13. Once you have been fingerprinted, the results of your live scan will be sent to AYSO, not to you. It will take up to 30 business days for your results to be processed by the California Department of Justice.
    2. Pre-paid Coupon (similar to above)
       1.  Email [email protected] for a coupon code.
       2. Check https://www.applicantservices.com/AYSO-Prepaid/Live_Scan_Locations for participating locations
       3. Go tohttps://www.applicantservices.com/AYSO-Prepaid and enter your information (make sure to use same legal name as your identification/Driver's License) and select location and time for your fingerprinting. Please do not leave process after entering your code or you will need a new code.
       4. Call ahead before your fingerprinting just to make sure fingerprinting is available.

Coach Training
All AYSO Coaches must take the relevant coach training courses for the age group they will be coaching. Training for Playground, 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.ayso44.org. You should be taken to your Account.
• Click on the 'Volunteer' tab on the left side
• Next to your name to the right, click on the 'AYSOU' button. You should now be automatically logged into the AYSOU training website
• For online training click on the 'Training Library' link on the left side for Online courses
  • 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.
• For in-person training click on the 'Training Events' link and use the search calendar to find courses
  • Remove the Region 44 from the Region filter if you are looking for courses hosted by other regions (you can take courses in any region)
  • Enter your address and the distance for your search
  • Enter the course you are looking for in using the Courses filter

Referee Training (similar to above)
All AYSO Referees must take relevant referee training courses for the age group they will be refereeing. In AYSOU

• For 8U take the 8U Official Course - Online
• For 10U and above take either:
  • Regional Referee - Online + In-Person (3-4 hours) Companion Bundle or
  • Full In-Person Regional Referee Course (6 hours)