Umoja Confirms Your Role
Start with the volunteer or chaperone form. Do not buy a background check or create duplicate accounts on your own. Umoja will tell you whether your role is covered and how to begin.
US Club Soccer defines an Adult Participant as an adult the club authorizes, approves, or appoints to have regular contact with or authority over minor athletes. Coaches, overnight chaperones, and similar recurring youth-facing roles fall into the group Umoja expects to clear. One-off helpers without regular contact or authority may not need the same process. Umoja will tell you what applies to your assignment.
Start with the volunteer or chaperone form. Do not buy a background check or create duplicate accounts on your own. Umoja will tell you whether your role is covered and how to begin.
US Club Soccer requires background screening for Adult Participants. For direct staff/volunteer registrations, the criminal background screen is handled through JDP in the GotSport staff-registration process.
Covered Adult Participants complete the SafeSport Trained Core or the applicable refresher course. The training addresses abuse prevention, misconduct, and reporting obligations. Required training is renewed annually.
Once cleared, the rules continue on the field and on trips: one-on-one interactions must follow observable-and-interruptible requirements, electronic communications and transportation have safeguards, and lodging has additional protections.
You do not need to memorize the policy manual before volunteering. If your role requires clearance, Umoja will give you the correct registration/training steps and confirm when you are ready to serve. Do not send Social Security numbers, background-check data, or identity documents through an Umoja website form.
Covered adults should not create isolated one-on-one situations with minor athletes except where an applicable policy exception permits it.
Electronic communications with minor athletes follow the applicable prevention rules, including adding another Adult Participant or the athlete's parent/guardian where required.
One-on-one transportation and overnight lodging are specifically addressed by the prevention policies. Umoja's trip rules are designed to work within those requirements.
SafeSport and US Club Soccer impose direct reporting obligations for suspected abuse and other covered misconduct. Training explains when and where reports must be made.
This overview was checked against current guidance from US Club Soccer SafeSport, US Club Soccer Background Screening, and the U.S. Center for SafeSport MAAPP. Training is completed through SafeSportTrained.org when your role requires it.
Clarkston, Georgia · Umoja Soccer Club