SLA Coach Program for the 2020-2021 Lacrosse Year (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021)

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 encourages 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. USL Membership is NOT a requirement to coach with SLA (except for your first season).  

SLA Coaching Requirements

1. 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 2019-20 Coach Registration
   4. Choose 2019-20 Program Coach Registration (e.g. Boys or Girls)
2. Complete the required Code of Conduct Acknowledgement on the NVYLL Website (spring season only)
   1. Only required for those coaches affiliated with teams in this league (not Local Recreation)
   2. Required annually for NVYLL team coaches
   3. Visit http://www.nvyll.org/Registration
   4. Select Coaches Code of Conduct and Coach Certification Survey
   5. Register after signing in or creating an account
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. Required every two (2) years
   3. If you are a first-time coach, and plan to take the US Lacrosse Level 1 course online (described below), please conduct your background check through USL, and provide a copy of the results back to SLA once complete. USL covers the cost of background checks for its coach members, which you will have to establish initially to take the Level 1 course.
   4. If you do not maintain a USL membership and do not expect to renew a previous membership while coaching with SLA, and you are due to update your background check, please visit http://www.ncsisafe.com/  to register and complete the check
   5. Contact SLA for our NCSI Access Code; SLA receives a report of your investigation direct from NCSI; no need to submit in this case
   6. 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
4. Complete SafeSport Abuse Prevention Training
   • ​​​Initial training w/ a potential annual refresher
   • Much like the criminal background check, if you are a first-time coach, and plan to take the US Lacrosse Level 1 course online (described below), please conduct your SafeSport Training through USL, and provide a copy of the certificate back to SLA once complete. USL covers the cost of this training for its coach members, which you will have to establish initially to take the Level 1 course.
   • If you do not maintain a USL membership and do not expect to renew a previous membership while coaching with SLA, SLA will provide the means to access SafeSport (or equivalent) training prior to the season.  When you need this information please email the program commissioners at and we will provide the access code immediately (our SafeSport account is handled differently and we cannot post the code here.  You should NOT pay for this training yourself.  If you do, provide the proof of payment and we will reimburse you by season's end.)    
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. Establish membership with US Lacrosse, if you are not already a member
   4. US Lacrosse members receive the level 1 online training course for free; SLA will reimburse new US Lacrosse members the $55 membership fee (for the first year only)
   5. Complete the Level 1 (Fundamentals) course and submit certificate to appropriate SLA Program Commissioner
   6. Online training course does not expire...good for subsequent season submissions
   7. All reimbursements will be paid AFTER completion of the spring season the year the training was completed
7. 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 some of 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 online/certified, Level 2 or Level 3) will be reimbursed only one time. No recertification will be reimbursed.