STEPS TO BECOME A USA HOCKEY COACH or VOLUNTEER
USA Hockey and the Coaching Education Program require both certification and registration to be eligible to coach. Registration is done online on a yearly basis. Certification is also required.
USA Hockey Requirements. Must be completed before participating in any on-ice or off-ice activities.
**Coaches complete Steps 1-6.
**Volunteers (team managers, locker room monitors, Club leadership etc.) complete Steps 1-4.
1. Register as a member of USA Hockey. Must be done yearly, cost is $56 for Coaches. Make sure you indicate you're coaching in the State of Kansas (Midwest Amateur Hockey Association) even if you live in Missouri. Volunteer membership is free.
3. Complete the Background Screen. ***Good for two seasons. Cost is $30.
4. Complete the USA Hockey SafeSport Training. Refresher required every year. Your SafeSport Certificate has an expiration date and is only good for one year from date taken. Check your expiration date. Can not participate or be added to a roster until completed. New Coaches need to complete the Core module.
5. Coaches Age Module - - Complete the online age-specific module(s) for the age level of play you are coaching unless you've already completed it. Modules have been consolidated. The new module classifications are U8, 10U/12U, and 13&Over. Cost is $20 per classification. Must be completed PRIOR to participating in any team activities and cannot be added to a roster until completed.
6. Coaching Clinic (if needed) - - Find, register and attend (virtually or in person) the required certification clinic. The cost is $60. You can only attend one clinic per season and all coaches start at Level 1. Click here to locate a clinic or to take one virtually. Coaching Education Program (Levels 1-5) Certification Clinic Requirements must be completed by Dec. 31, 2024.
Volunteers: Off-ice volunteers only need to complete Steps 1-4 above and register using the following link. USA Hockey membership is free for off-ice volunteers.
All Coaches and Volunteers need to register with KCYHA using the following link. (This link is the same as in Step 2 above.)
(1) Required Coaching Education Program Levels for Ice Hockey
All coaches must have the required certification level by January 1 of the current season, unless earlier deadlines are established by the district and/or affiliate.
All coaches must complete the online age-specific modules PRIOR to participating with their team.
(a) All coaches must enter USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program at Level 1, and must continue their education with a coaching clinic each year until, at a minimum, they achieve Level 4. Coaches of only 8 and Under players should remain at Level 1 until such time as they are coaching any older age level of play.
A coach may attend only one (1) certification clinic per year.
Once Level 4 is achieved, coaches will need to complete 5 credit hours of continuing education within each subsequent three-year period [as outlined in Paragraph (c) below].
(b) In addition to the training in paragraph (a) above, coaches must also complete online age-specific training modules specific to the level of play they are coaching, if they have not already taken that module. This requirement applies to all coaches at all levels, 1 through 5. Coaches may complete more than one age-specific module in any given season.
(c) Effective in the 2022-23 season, Level 4 coaching certifications are valid for three (3) seasons, Level 5 valid for four (4) seasons, as indicated by the expiration date. Before the expiration of their level, coaches must accumulate 5 credit hours of continuing education by either taking Level 5, or by attending other USA Hockey continuing education clinics. The USA Hockey clinic listings will indicate all continuing education offerings and the credit value of each. The Coaching Education Program retains the responsibility for defining continuing education credit values, including clinic or online course work.
(d) Grandfather Clause
For those coaches who received Level 4 or Level 5 PRIOR TO January 1, 2021, only coaches of Tier I and Tier II teams are required to do continuing education as required in (c) above.
(e) Previous/Expired Certifications
Coaches with any expired certification will retain their previous certification levels provided the certification can be verified. Coaches may re-enter the certification system at that previous level and be subject to the certification guidelines in (a) through (c) above.
(2) Evidence of Level
It is the responsibility of the local association to identify those coaches who do not meet the certification requirements. All coaches have until December 31 of the current season, or earlier date as established by the district and/or affiliate, to attend a USA Hockey coaching clinic. All coaches must complete the online age-specific modules PRIOR to participating with their team. Prior to the start of all games throughout the season all coaches are required to indicate their current certification status on the scoresheet, regardless of their certification level. All coaches (except for juniors) must legibly print their USA Hockey Coaching Education Program (CEP) card number, their CEP level (levels 1-5), their online age-specific playing level module and the year their CEP level expires. Beginning January 1 of the current season, prior to the start of each game, all coaches present are required to sign the designated area of the scoresheet in order to verify the accuracy of the player roster, as it appears on the scoresheet, for that game.
(3) Penalty and Enforcement
Any coach not in possession of these certification requirements will be ineligible to coach for the remainder of the season. Districts and/or affiliates are required to uphold this penalty. It will be the responsibility of the local association registering the team to enforce the national policy.
SafeSport Training and Background Screen need to be completed PRIOR to the start of the season and BEFORE you have any on-ice or off-ice contact with players!
Who needs to complete SafeSport Training and Background Check?
Coaches
Referees
Team Managers
Volunteers
Locker Room Monitors
Board Members
Employees
Anyone who will have regular contact with or authority over athletes under the age of 18 are required to submit to a background screen and complete SafeSport module before any such contact with those athletes.
Important Background Check Note: Background Checks through NCSI are good for two seasons. The cost is $30 for domestic screens, $75 for Canada, $150 for international screens. If you were screened after April 1, 2022, that screen will be valid for the 2023-24 season and you will not need to be screened until prior to the 2024-25 season. If your screen was prior to April 1, 2022 you will need to be screened under the new system in order to participate in the upcoming season.
Coaches Education general rule: Coaches start with Level 1 and advance one level each year unless you are coaching 8U in which you can stay at Level 1 until you advance to 10U Squirts.
Coaches need to complete their CEP clinics virtually as we do not plan on having any local in-person clinics in the 2024-2025 season.