Requirements for Coaching Certification

According to the USA Swimming rulebook, anyone who coaches athletes at a USA Swimming practice or competition, must be a coach member of USA Swimming and must have satisfactorily completed all courses - in person or online - required by USA Swimming. A background check is required for coach candidates who are 18 years of age or older.

A coach member must complete all of the requirements in this chart. New coaches may be registered as a Provisional Coach if they will be in a position where they will always be supervised on deck by a USA Swimming coach member. A Provisional Coach certifcation is more lenient on the in person safety training requirement (you are given one year to take the courses) vs the Coach certification. The Director of Finance and Operations will guide you toward the appropriate classification.

TIDE has a handy checklist HERE to guide you through the certification process. To begin, you must first create your own USA Swimming login. Once you have created your USA Swimming account, the Director of Finance and Operations will send you the link you will use to register as a non-athlete (coach or provisional coach) member.

State of Virginia Mandated Reporter Training

The State of Virginia requires that "any athletic coach, director, or other person 18 years of age or older employed by or volunteering with a private sports organization or team" complete a free, online, training module: Mandated Reporters: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect. The course is available online; you will be asked to answer questions as you progress through the course. You will need to score 90% to fulfill the requirement. The course presents material in this guide for Mandated Reporters.

Access the course (CWSE 5692)  here.