Coaches' & Clubs' Safe Sport Resources

Guidelines for Implementing the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP)

• Electronic Communications Policy One Pager
• In-Program Contact Policy One Pager
• Locker Room Policy One Pager
• Lodging Policy One Pager
• MAAPP At-A-Glance One Pager
• Massage Policy One Pager
• One on One Interaction Policy One Pager
• Training Policy One Pager
• Transportation Policy One Pager

Best Practices for Safe Sport

We all have a responsibility for creating a safe environment for all athletes, coaches, officials and administrators who participate in our sport. With our established background screening program and Coaches Registry, USATF is proud to be a leader in the effort to help identify and prevent misconduct in sport, promote an open dialogue, and provide training and resources that are critical to the success of any athlete.
 
Statistically, one in five youth report being bullied, while one in 10 will be victims of sexual abuse. Working collaboratively with the USOPC and the U.S. Center for SafeSport, our goal through Safe Sport is to ensure every athlete is safe and supported, regardless of age.
 
USATF currently requires the following individuals to take SafeSport training: National Office Staff, Board of Directors, registered coaches, certified officials, authorized agents, National Team staff, National Committee Chairs, Association leadership, Youth Committee members, AAC Committee Members AAC Event Leaders, all meet volunteers in an official capacity, Youth Camp staff, vendors with access to athletes, and all RunJumpThrow event organizers. That list is so expansive because we will not back down from taking every measure possible to protect athletes. We all must work together to strengthen a culture in our sport that promotes respect and prevents abuse. A safe environment in which to compete and train is a successful environment.
 
To be Safe Sport compliant within USATF, the aforementioned list of individuals must have:

1. USATF Membership
2. USATF Background Check
3. SafeSport Training

If you do not have current SafeSport training, please visit the SafeSport website and have your USATF membership number ready to complete training. If you’ve taken a SafeSport course in the past, but are not sure if it’s valid, please search your name on the Safe Sport Compliant List. For more information, please visit our Safe Sport page on our website.

Best Practices for Engaging a New Coach

USATF has gathered information for clubs related to engaging a new coach, given the fact that clubs frequently reach out to USATF for guidance on this front. Based on information from resources such as the National Federation of State High School Associations, USA Gymnastics, and Ohio University, below is a summary of findings.

Recruiting

• Have a clear system in place for advertising, recruiting, supervising, and reviewing your coaches.
  • Job description: give your coach a job description with information about your track club, what jobs or functions you want them to do, and the qualifications that they need.
• Resumes: Ask for resumes and read them. Are there gaps of time? Why? Are there coaching jobs of less than a year? Why? Be ready to ask these questions in the interview.

Pre-Interview

• Establish an interview panel: who should be on it? Ideally 1-2 committee members, a club director, and another coach (perhaps the one who will be working closely/conjunctively with this individual, if applicable). You may also include an athlete and a parent, to encompass all areas of the track program.
• Plan your questions using the job description the candidate applied for.
• Ask the same questions to each candidate to make sure your interviews are fair.
• Check to make sure the candidate is not listed on the disciplinary page with the U.S. Center for SafeSport or USATF.

Interview

• During the interview, ask open-ended questions. Present 1-3 situations and ask how the interviewee would handle them. Listen for conflicts with your track philosophy or inappropriate solutions.
  • One possibility: ask why they left their past track clubs or jobs.

Post-Interview

• Call references: Contacting references are a good way to ask questions you wouldn’t normally direct to the candidate. They also validate (or invalidate) what the candidate has put on his/her resume or told you during the interview. Call owners of track clubs where they worked, and past track coaches the candidate coached with.
  • Ask them: “Would you rehire this coach?” Listen to how they answer (slowly/carefully or happily/quickly?).
• Search candidate’s name on the internet/social media.
• Send candidates a “successful” or “non-successful” interview letter/email/call and thank them for their interest in your track program.

On-Boarding

• All coaches (whether they are being paid or not) should be provided with a Coaching Agreement/Handbook by the club engaging them, which include a coaching code of ethics or something similar. Have the coach sign the agreement to acknowledge they’ve received and read it.
• All coaches (new or seasoned) should be a USATF member, successfully pass a USATF background screen (and agree to acknowledgements therein), become SafeSport trained, and meet the required education standard. Make sure these coaches are listed on USATF’s Coaches Registry by checking for the name on both the Safe Sport Compliance List AND the Education Standard List. If the coach’s name appears both places, then he/she has met the requirements to become a USATF Registered Coach.

Into the Season

• Have ironclad rules about using cameras, being alone with athletes, emailing/texting/all outside communications with athletes and their families, information confidentiality, and transporting athletes. Mandatory minimum USATF requirements regarding these policies and others can be found in our Safe Sport Handbook.
• Follow-up on any rumors or uneasiness that you hear about in your track community.
• Terminate employment if/when lines are crossed, based on your employment agreement.
• Understand the mandatory reporting requirements within your state. In addition, individuals may, and in many cases must, report any allegation of child physical or sexual abuse to relevant law enforcement authorities.

California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act

For California members, please be aware of your responsibilities under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA). USATF is providing an Acknowledgement to Report Child Abuse Form and a Suspected Child Abuse Reporting Form as resources for you.

• Suspected Child Abuse Report
• Acknowledgment