SLA Coach Program for the 2021-2022 Lacrosse Year (September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022)

SLA is a 100% volunteer organization and requires a constant stream of new coaches and volunteers to maintain a quality youth lacrosse program for the boys and girls of Stafford County. Below are the requirements to be completed before the start of any season or program in which you plan to coach. Please check the renewal period of each requirement, they vary by program. 

Please contact the Boys or Girls Program Commissioner with questions at:

SLA now requires ALL coaches to establish and maintain membership with US Lacrosse, the governing body for the sport.  Your membership brings with it significant benefits, including access to training courses, insurance as well as helps SLA reduce some costs associated with required coach training.

SLA Coaching Requirements

1. Establish an Adult, Coach Membership with US Lacrosse
   • ​​Visit https://www.uslacrosse.org/membership
   • Membership is good for 1 year, and must be current through the entire SLA season in which you are coaching
   • "Game Involvement" type must be set as "Coach"
   • SLA will reimburse the annual cost of the membership at the end of the season (this may be a partial reimbursement if you also coach with another program or a school)
2. Complete a Coach Registration on SLA Website
   1. Visit http://www.staffordyouthlacrosse.com/Registration
   2. Required annually, good for the entire lacrosse year as defined above
   3. Choose 2020-21 Coach Registration
   4. Choose 2020-21 Program Coach Registration (e.g. Boys or Girls)
   5. You will be required to enter your US Lacrosse membership number
3. Complete and pass a criminal background check (cannot be on the field w/o this completed)
   1. SLA, NVYLL and US Lacrosse use the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI)
   2. You will access the background check system through your USL account 
   3. Required every two (2) years...if you have not previously done this check via USL, please re-do this year
   4. NOTE: SLA's signed Agreement with Stafford County requires all on-field adults to pass a criminal background check, so this requirement is extremely important to complete in a timely manner. You cannot coach on-field until this is complete and verified
4. Complete Abuse Prevention Training
   • ​​​SLA and US Lacrosse use the Abuse Prevention Systems as the vendor for this training
   • You will access this training through your USL account 
   • Required annually
   • On February 2, 2021, US Lacrosse announced that they would change providers for abuse prevention training.  SafeSport training will be available through the US Lacrosse member portal until March 1st.  After that time, a new provider will be available. SLA coaches should access the available training from either provider through the USL portal. If you have a previously completed certificate from SafeSport, you may send that to USL ( ) to receive credit for the training. USL will only accept previous training that is less than 6 months old. 
5. Complete the Heads Up Concussion Training
   • Required annually; must be current before coaching in any season
   • Visit https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html
   • Complete course and submit the Certificate of Completion to the appropriate SLA Program Commissioner 
6. Complete US Lacrosse Level 1 online training course
   1. Required one time only; certificate never expires
   2. Visit  https://www.uslacrosse.org/coaches/coach-development-program/online-courses
   3. US Lacrosse members receive the level 1 online training course for free; 
   4. Complete the Level 1, "Fundamentals of Coaching" course and ensure it is recorded within your US Lacrosse account
   5. Online training course does not expire...good for subsequent season submissions
7. NVYLL ONLY: Complete the required Code of Conduct Acknowledgement on the NVYLL Website (spring season only)
   • Only required for those coaches affiliated with teams in this league (not Local Recreation)
   • Required annually for NVYLL team coaches
   • Visit http://www.nvyll.org/Registration
   • Select Coaches Code of Conduct and Coach Certification Survey
   • Register after signing in or creating an account
8. Additional Coach Training

• Many additional and valuable free courses are available to US Lacrosse Members.  SLA coaches are encouraged to increase their knowledge through these courses.   
• The above training(s) are SLA requirements and do not constitute a US Lacrosse coach certification, although the components do put a new coach on a short path to an initial USL Level 1 certification.  To read more about USL's coaching education program and certifications, please see more here. 
• Should you decide to pursue a full USL Level 1, Level 2 and/or Level 3 certification, those certifications can be reimbursed after successful completion AND appropriate documentation.
• Each level (Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3) will be reimbursed only one time. No recertification will be reimbursed.