GCAA Rec Soccer
These tasks are required for any participation in GCAA activities and must be completed at the following intervals:
- Initial volunteer registration
- Every fall registration period, regardless of if completed in the Spring for the first time.
EACH of the 4 steps listed below must occur BEFORE you are eligible to participate.
Step 1: Complete Coach Registration (Head and Assistant Coaches MUST be registered for the current season)
Step 2: Complete SafeSport Training and download your completion certificate
Step 3: Submit Risk Management Application (background check), with SafeSport certificate uploaded on SafeSport tab. Your application will not be processed unless it is present
Step 4: Wait for approval email from GCAA Rec Soccer before participating in ANY on-field activities. Coaches may not participate in any capacity until approval email is received from soccer@gcaasports.com to you directly.
For 2026-2027, all SafeSport certificates of completion must be dated ON or AFTER April 1, 2026 in order to be valid for the 2026-2027 seasonal year.
SafeSport and Risk Management Instructions can be found below
SafeSport Training
Everyone must complete a SafeSport training course each year as part your NCYSA Risk Management application.
Once complete, the training certificate must be uploaded on the SafeSport tab in your Risk Management application. Please remember to download your certificate upon complete.
To setup a NEW SafeSport account (only use these instructions if you have NEVER completed SafeSport training before):
- Please read ALL instructions before clicking the link below!
- You MUST start the creation of your account by clicking this Enrollment Key link:
- Complete information on “Sign Up” page.
- Create account in your LEGAL Name. The name on your SafeSport certificate must match the name on your NCYSA Risk Management application.
- All SafeSport accounts MUST have a UNIQUE email address. PARENTS...do NOT use your email address when creating a SafeSport account for your child.
- Leave “MembershipID” blank!
- Enter "NCYSA" under “Name of Sport or Community Organization”
- If prompted, log in to the new account you just created or click on “Go to My Dashboard”.
- Select “Catalog” or “My Courses”.
- Click the Start button for “SafeSport Trained – U.S. Soccer Federation” to complete the course.
- If you cannot complete the training in one sitting, go to https://safesporttrained.org to log back in to your account.
- Once training is completed, download your certificate of completion.
- Instructions for downloading a certificate of completion to your personal device are as follows:
- Select the “Menu” icon at the top right of your page.
- Select “Transcript”.
- Once the transcript page displays, locate the most current completion for the course under the “Certificates” section.
- Download the certificate by selecting the “Download” button at the right of the completed course.
- Save the certificate of completion somewhere on your device where you can easily find it later to upload in the dialog box below.
To log in to an EXISTING SafeSport account (to take a refresher course):
- Go to: https://safesporttrained.org
- Click “Login” - You MUST use the same email address you used in the past when you originally setup your SafeSport account. Once you are logged in, you can update your email address if needed.
- Click on the "Catalog" module OR the "My Courses" module from your dashboard.
- Complete the next available REFRESHER course. Your next course will have a "Start" button. If the button says "Re-Enroll", you have already completed that course.
- ONLY TAKE ONE REFRESHER COURSE! SafeSport is setup on a four-year cycle. If you take all of your refresher courses at one time, you will need to repeat the 90-minute initial training next year.
- For Adult Participants:
- Year One - SafeSport Trained 90-minute course
- Year Two - Refresher #1 (15-30 minutes)
- Year Three - Refresher #2 (15-30 minutes)
- Year Four - Refresher #3 (15-30 minutes)
- Year Five - start over again with SafeSport Trained 90-minute course
- For minor volunteers (age 5-17):
- 5-12 years old: “SafeSport for Kids” (approx.15 minutes long)
- 13-17 years old: “SafeSport for Youth Athletes” (approx. 15 minutes long)
- If you will turn 18 during the 2025-2026 seasonal year, please go ahead and do the full "SafeSport Trained - U.S. Soccer Federation" course! (90 minutes) You will be required to do that training before your 18th birthday.
- If you have already taken all three refresher courses (#1, #2 & #3), you will need to complete the full initial core SafeSport Trained 90-minute course again. Click "Re-Enroll" button to start that training.
- Download your certificate of completion.
- Instructions for downloading a certificate of completion to your personal device are as follows:
- Select the “Menu” icon at the top right of your page.
- Select “Transcript”.
- Once the transcript page displays, locate the most current completion for the course under the “Certificates” section.
- Download the certificate by selecting the “Download” button at the right of the completed course.
- Save the certificate of completion somewhere on your device where you can easily find it later to upload in the dialog box below.
Once your SafeSport training is complete, you will receive a certificate of completion PDF from SafeSport which must be uploaded to RM! Please be sure to save it to a location on your computer or device that you can easily find later. If you are unable to complete your training at this time, you can return to this application at a later time to upload the certificate.
YOUR RISK MANAGEMENT APPLICATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL YOU CAN CLICK THE SUBMIT APPLICATION BUTTON IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER.
Risk Management
Risk Management for 2026-2027 is now being completed through PlayMetrics.
- Coaches will no longer self-register to complete this process and will be invited by the GCAA Registrar.
- Upon entry, you will receive an email to proceed to the next steps
- Sender: noreply@gbmail.playmetrics.com
- Subject line: "Welcome to PlayMetrics as a member for club Greater Cleveland Athletic Association"
- Create a PlayMetrics account or login to your existing account
- You'll then be directed to a screen which shows your name and the organization name, confirm that your legal name is appearing and if it is not your legal name, click the pencil to edit, then click Complete Requirements
- Upload your Member Photo.
- TIP: Photo must be a forward-facing headshot without any head gear, sunglasses or have other people in it - else it will be denied.
- NCYSA Code of Conduct:
- View Agreement, scroll to bottom to click I Agree
- Clearances - SafeSport:
- Upload your SafeSport training certificate [see SafeSport Instructions]
- Enter your completion date [must be on or after April 1, 2026 to be valid for the 2026-2027 year]
- Background Screening:
- Click Complete Screening and proceed to complete the required information within the window from JDP for your background check completion.
- RETURN to PlayMetrics
- Please note: It may take a few minutes for the Background Screening to change from Incomplete to Complete in order for you to submit. When you hit submit, if you receive an error, wait a few moments, then click submit again. When it has background refreshed, Yes, Submit Requirements will appear and allow you to do so to finalize the submission.
- Your membership status will appear as In Review, and no further action is needed from you at that time.
Questions? Contact GCAA Rec Soccer
