Two questions come up often: whether Ankored's abuse prevention training can be used in place of SafeSport, and whether coaches who already have a certificate can reuse it. This article answers both.
About Ankored's Abuse Prevention Training
Ankored's Abuse Prevention Training (also called Trusted Coach) is a 5-module course, about 1 hour long, built for youth sports coaches. It covers both abuse prevention and abuse reporting in one course. Coaches complete it right in their Ankored profile, and their status updates as soon as they finish, so there's no certificate for your team to review.
The training is included in Silver, Gold, and Platinum packages.
Can it be used in place of SafeSport?
It depends on your organization.
National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and their member clubs: no. NGBs and their member clubs must use the U.S. Center for SafeSport's own course. Ankored's training is not a substitute for it.
Youth sports organizations outside the Olympic movement: Ankored's Abuse Prevention Training covers the abuse-prevention and reporting topics required by the Safe Sport Act for organizations outside the Olympic movement.
Keep in mind that a training course alone doesn't make an organization compliant. The Safe Sport Act also requires organizations to have their own policies and to provide training consistently. Your organization is responsible for its own compliance. If you're not sure which applies to you, check with your governing body or legal counsel.
Can coaches reuse a certificate they already have?
Yes. If your coaches have already completed SafeSport or another training elsewhere, you can set up a requirement that lets them upload their certificate instead of taking the course again. Your team then reviews and approves it in Ankored.
Upload a certificate: set up an Uploads or Online Documents requirement so coaches can upload their existing certificate. See How to Add a Requirement: Uploads or Online Documents.
Verify it automatically: for SafeSport certificates, you can use a Document Upload requirement with AI Verification, which checks the certificate for you. See How to Add a Requirement: Document Upload with AI Verification.
U.S. Soccer organizations: SafeSport completed through the U.S. Soccer Learning Center syncs to Ankored directly. See U.S. Soccer Learning Center Requirements in Ankored.
Set the requirement's expiration to match how long the certificate is valid, so Ankored reminds coaches when it's time to renew. See Understanding Requirement Expiration Options.
Once a coach's certificate is approved in Ankored, they won't be asked to complete that requirement again in other programs or roles until it expires, as long as they use the same email address.
Need help?
Contact [email protected].