All Coaching Staff and volunteers (including team managers, locker room monitors and board members) must obtain and provide the required items in order to participate each season.  These items are a requirement of all PAHL and USA Hockey sanctioned organizations. If you have any questions or need assistance along the way, please contact the Registrar. 

Managers, locker room monitors, board members, and other volunteers must complete steps 1-4, below.  Coaches must complete steps 1-6.  Any on-ice volunteer is a coach and MUST complete steps 1-6.

Step 1: Register as a Member of USA Hockey 

• Registration is free for volunteers. For coaching, the cost is $51 plus any affiliate fees, if applicable.
• Required prior to team rostering/participation
• Must register on a yearly basis, registration begins April 1st
• To register, go to the USA Hockey Website 
  • COACHES: https://www.usahockey.com/coachingcertification
  • MANAGERS/VOLUNTEERS: https://membership.usahockey.com/
• Once you obtain your USA Hockey Number, please email the USA Hockey Number to the IYHA Registrar. 

Step 2:  Complete USA Hockey Background Screening

• Must be completed prior to team rostering/participation
• Screening is processed by NCSI and requires an upload of the State Required Screenings listed below
• Screening is valid for two (2) Hockey Seasons.  A season goes from 04-01 through 03-31.  So, if you screen in September during the current season, your screening will expire on 03-31 of the next hockey season
• The screening cost is $30.00
• Complete here: https://www.usahockey.com/backgroundscreen

Step 3:  Pennsylvania ACT 153 Clearances

• Must be completed and uploaded to NCIS prior to team participation
• All volunteers (sports, schools, etc.) in Pennsylvania must satisfy the requirements of PA ACT 153
• There are three separate screenings to be completed:
  1.  Child Abuse Screening - www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS/Public/Home
  2. State Criminal Background Check - https://epatch.pa.gov/home
  3. FBI Fingerprinting and Background Check - http://www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov/resources/clearances/fbifinger/index.htm
     • Service Code: 1KG756
       OR
     • This screening is waived if the participant has lived in PA for the last 10 consecutive years. A Volunteer Affidavit can be used in lieu of an FBI Check by anyone who has lived in PA for the last 10 consecutive years AND is participating as a volunteer with USA Hockey
       • Affidavit document is attached to the right of the screen on this webpage or may be at the bottom of the screen if you're on a mobile device.
  • PA CLEARANCE UPLOAD TO NCSI: 
    • Once all three PA clearance come back you must upload them to NCSI. These are uploaded when you submit your NCSI clearance, if they are missing NCSI will email you a link to upload the clearances for PA to link to you NCSI clearance.
• PA Clearances are required to be updated every 5 years/60 months
• Note: If you already have copies of PA clearances from within the past 60 months, you may upload those to the NCIS link. If you upload already completed PA clearances, they will be due again 60 months from the date on the clearances, not 60 months from the time you upload them to NCIS.
• PA Clearances must be uploaded to the NCIS link within 5 days of completing the USA Hockey background screen in step 2, or you will need to call the number for NCIS to have them linked. [Phone: 866-996-7412 (Option 2)]

Step 4: Complete the USA Hockey Safe Sport Training

• Required every year and cannot be added to a roster until completed
  • Initial module is 90 minutes long
  • Renewal modules are approximately 30 minutes long
• Module is online and free
• Complete here: https://www.usahockey.com/safesporttraining
• Renewals are annual and may expire DURING the season. 

Step 5:  Complete Age-Specific Module(s)

• Required prior to team participation
• Cost is $10 per module
• Only required once per age division
• You can register for only ONE module at a time. You must complete the module in its entirety before you can move on to another one
• Complete here: https://www.usahockey.com/agespecificmodules

Step 6: USA Hockey Coaching Education Program (CEP)

• Required by December 31st of the current season
• Clinics are put on by USA Hockey personnel, scheduled virtually and at various locations. 
  • Note: Virtual clinics are live, requiring active participation.  Coaching clinics are posted after 9/1/23. Schedule early in the season, classes fill up and are not guaranteed to have openings, up to the 12/31/23 deadline. 
• Coaches start with Level 1 and must do a clinic or recertification each year until they reach Level 4
• Coaches are only permitted to do one clinic or recertification a year regardless of what level they are coaching
• Cost varies by level and location 
• Coaches at level 4 or 5 may have continuing education requirements
• Locate a clinic here: https://www.usahockey.com/coachingclinics