Risk Management & SafeSport

Risk Management

The FYSA Risk Management Program is in place to identify and assess potential risks to our soccer community. We monitor and minimize the probability and/or impact these risks may pose to youth athletes around the state. Risk management ranges from making sure that all players wear shin guards to providing background checks for all our volunteers, coaches and staff members.

The objectives of the risk management program are:

To review and recommend policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our participants.
To establish secure records and maintain the background check information program for volunteers, employees and others who are entrusted with the supervision and care of players and participants, including financial care.
To provide secondary medical coverage for injuries incurred during participation in Florida Youth Soccer activities.
To provide policy recommendations and education for Florida Youth Soccer Member Associations to minimize liabilities and other manageable risks including financial risk.

All background checks are completed through GotSoccer. Login into your account and under the Background Check tab, press the 'submit new report' button. Fill out all necessary information with your legal name and records. The background check includes a national and state level check, so please submit your report in a timely manner once per seasonal year.

SafeSport

In 2018, Congress passed The Protective Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 (the SafeSport Act). The legislation is aimed at preventing and reporting child abuse in youth sports by expanding the categories of "mandatory reporters" and requiring organizations to provide enhanced training. FYSA requires all of its adult members to complete the training and follow the reporting guidelines of SafeSport.

SafeSport Training

SafeSport training is mandatory for every adult participant within FYSA, including coaches, managers and administrators. The training covers three topics: mandatory reporting, sexual misconduct awareness education, and emotional and physical misconduct. The training is offered to all registered FYSA members through an access code that is provided to all clubs after completion of a background check. Adults should complete this training before beginning any sanctioned activity with their club. Upon completion, the adult should upload their "SafeSport Trained" certificate into their GotSoccer profile. Please contact your club for first time training code and/or the re-certification course.

SafeSport Reporting

In addition to requiring training, the SafeSport Act also expands the definition of mandatory reporter to include any “adult who is authorized, by a national governing body, a member of the national governing body…to interact with a minor or amateur athlete at an amateur sports organization facility or at any event sanctioned by a national governing body, a member of a national governing body, or such an amateur sports organization.” FYSA urges all adults to understand their reporting obligations outlined here:

Under the SafeSport Act, the reporting obligation is triggered when a mandatory reporter becomes aware of “facts that give reason to suspect” a child has suffered an incident of child abuse. Mandatory reporters should refrain from judging or evaluating the credibility of such allegations, and instead immediately report these incidents to law enforcement and to SafeSport. Failure to promptly (within 24 hours of becoming aware) report suspected child abuse to law enforcement may constitute a violation of federal law, state law and U.S. Soccer’s SafeSport Policy. Click here if you have suspicions that must be reported.

Additional Information & Resources

The U.S. Center for SafeSport also offers training and resources for parents of athletes. Parents are encouraged to use these resources to familiarize themselves with SafeSport’s philosophy and policies. U.S. Soccer has developed the Safe Soccer Framework. This is a great resource for clubs to use to develop their own policies and procedures for creating a safe environment for all participants.

- SafeSport Parent Toolkits
- SafeSport Code for the US Olympic & Paralympic Movements

Clubs