AYSO Region 58 — Fall 2026 Season | Updated April 29, 2026
Bottom Line
Volunteer compliance in PlayMetrics works through a two-system model: the Club System (our registration platform — the blue interface) captures volunteer interest and designates staff roles, and the Governing System (AYSO National — the purple interface) handles background checks and certifications. Volunteers must flow from Club → Governing to trigger compliance. Right now, we can do everything on the Club side. The Governing side is not yet accessible to pilot regions — PlayMetrics is finalizing integrations with JDP (background checks) and AYSOU (certifications), expected this summer. In the meantime, returning volunteers continue using AYSOU through Sports Connect. AYSO National (Paula) has decided to pre-import existing risk data and certifications into the PM Governing System backend ahead of AYSOU availability — this data surfaces when a volunteer is added to the Governing System.
How It Works
Capture InterestRegistration, Coach Link, or Volunteer Signup
Designate as StaffAdmin, Coach, Director, or Team Staff
Track & VerifyRegion monitors status in both systems
A volunteer cannot be imported into the AYSO Governing System for background checks and certifications unless they first exist as a staff member in the Club System. This is the critical pipeline — every volunteer must go through these steps in order.
Region 58 Enforcement Plan (Jay's Proposal)
Jay (CVPA) laid out a two-step compliance enforcement plan for Fall 2026, following discussion at AYSO Expo. The core goal: stop chasing coaches who already have teams and a schedule to comply. Get ahead of it.
Jay's Nightmare Scenario
"Someone who has not done background check or fingerprint gets a team and starts practicing in August, and then a yellow or red flag comes up in their background." This is what we're preventing.
Step 1: No Team Without Background Check + Fingerprinting
Any coach who has not completed their background check and fingerprinting does not get a team. Period. This is enforced at the team formation level, before Ben starts building schedules. California AB 506 requires fingerprinting to "activate teams and print official rosters" — this isn't just AYSO policy, it's state law. (AYSO Wiki: California AB 506)
Step 2: No Game Card Without Video Training by Game 1
Coaches get a little more time for the video training courses (SafeSport, Safe Haven, Concussion Awareness, etc.), but the cutoff is Game 1. Either the training is complete or they don't get a schedule/game card. No more begging and chasing mid-season.
R58 Fingerprint Fair — Early August
Jay wants to organize a Region 58 fingerprint fair in early August (not the end of the month) so there's enough time to verify results before teams practice. Sara suggested coordinating fingerprinting with coach meetings or coach training so coaches make one trip to the park for multiple things. This needs to be on the calendar early and over-communicated to families.
✅ PlayMetrics Is Building Exactly What Jay Wants
The PM Governing System's end goal is a "verified for the season" status that combines risk screening + SafeSport + coaching license into a single green/red indicator. When a coach is assigned to a team, the system checks compliance. This is the systemic enforcement Jay has been asking for — no more manual tracking and chasing. We won't have full age-specific coaching license verification in Phase 1, but the risk screening + SafeSport foundation will be there. In the meantime, our existing Sports Affinity/eTrainU automation handles the tracking.
💡 How This Connects to Scheduling
Jay's compliance gates feed directly into Ben's scheduling timeline. Ben needs finalized coach lists from DCs to start building schedules. If compliance must be cleared before team assignment, then the fingerprint fair and BG check deadlines need to happen before team formation — which needs to happen before Ben starts scheduling. The rough sequence: Registration closes (July) → Fingerprint fair (early Aug) → Compliance verified → Teams formed → Ben builds schedule (Aug–early Sep) → First games (Sep 19).
What We've Already Set Up Done
Volunteer Roles in Program Registration
Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Referee, and Board Member are configured as volunteer positions in the Fall 2026 Core program. The "collect sign ups" boxes are checked so parents see volunteer options during player registration.
Coaching Request Questions in the League
Custom questions are built under Leagues → Coaching Requests: role preference (HC/AC), training requirements acknowledgment, and coach shirt size with linked dropdown. The standalone Coach Request Link is available to share on our website for coaches who aren't registering a player.
Program Questions for Non-Coach Volunteers
A "Are you aware this is a volunteer organization?" question is included as a program question (asked once per registration session). Additional volunteer detail questions for non-coaching roles (referee certification, board member expertise) can be added here if needed.
Three Pathways for Capturing Volunteer Interest
Pathway
Who It's For
Where It Lives
Status
A. Program Registration
Parents registering a player who want to volunteer
Program Builder → Volunteer Roles
Done
B. Coach Request Link
Coaches who skipped the prompt during registration, non-parent coaches, community coaches
Leagues → Coaching Requests → Coach Request Link
Done
C. Volunteer Sign Up
Non-coaching volunteers (board members, referees) who aren't registering a player
Volunteer Signups (left nav)
Being Enabled
💡 Volunteer Sign Up — Superusers Consensus: Enable for All
During the April Superusers call, the group agreed this should be enabled for all pilot regions. If no signups are configured, parents see "no signups at this time" — no harm done. Jason (Region 277) named his "Non Coach Volunteer" and put a note in the description redirecting coaches to the Coach Request Link instead. The feature was originally built for things like concessions and field duty signups, but it's being used in the interim to capture non-coach volunteer interest. Krista (Region 18) has requested that the Coach Request Link be expanded to a general "Volunteer Request Link" that includes referees — PlayMetrics noted the feedback.
Staff Designation: Who Goes Where
Every volunteer must be categorized as "staff" in the Club System before they can flow to the Governing System. Different volunteer types have different paths:
Volunteer Type
Staff Designation
How They Get There
Regional Commissioner, Treasurer, other admins
Admin
Added under Staff → Admins. Automatically syncs to Governing once added.
Division Coordinators
Director
Added under Staff → Directors. Automatically syncs to Governing once added.
Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches
Coach
Option 1: Assign directly to a team via League → Assignments (coach icon appears next to player name). Option 2: Bulk import via Staff → Coaches → More Actions → Import Coaches.
Referees, Board Members, Team Parents, Concessions, Field Prep, etc.
Team Staff
Assigned to hidden "Volunteer" container teams. Requires team import + team staff import (see below).
💡 Why Hidden Container Teams?
The system currently requires all Team Staff to be associated with a team. Since non-coaching volunteers aren't on player teams, we create invisible "container" teams (one per role: Referee Team, Board Member Team, etc.) just to house them administratively. These teams are hidden from public view — they're only for compliance tracking.
Non-Coach Volunteer Setup Steps Do After Go-Live
This is the most complex piece and doesn't need to happen before registration opens. Do this once you have volunteers who've expressed interest and you're ready to start compliance.
Step 1: Club Settings Prep
Add a "Volunteer" level under Club Administration → Edit Settings → Add Level
Enable Co-Ed Teams in Club Settings
Update Team Staff Titles under Staff → Team Staff → More Actions → Manage Titles
Import teams via Teams → More Actions → Import Teams
Each team = one volunteer role (Referee Team, Board Member Team, etc.)
Set gender to Co-Ed, level to Volunteer, season to your Fall 2026 season name
Step 3: Hide Volunteer Teams
Teams → More Actions → Set Visibility
Filter by Label "Volunteer" → Select All → Uncheck all roles
This keeps them functional but invisible to parents and coaches
Step 4: Export Volunteer Data
From Program: Programs → [Fall 2026 Core] → More Actions → Export Volunteers
From Volunteer Sign Up: Volunteer Signups → [Your Signup] → More Actions → Export Volunteers
Exclude head coaches and assistant coaches (they go through the Coach pathway, not Team Staff)
Step 5: Import as Team Staff
Map exported data into the Team Staff Import template (name, email, phone, title, season, team name)
Staff → Team Staff → More Actions → Import Team Staff
Duplicates are handled automatically — same person won't be imported twice
You can do multiple import rounds as new volunteers trickle in
Compliance Tiers (From AYSO National)
Paula (AYSO National) is defining tiered compliance requirements that map to Governing System roles. These determine what each volunteer must complete. The tiers are still being finalized, but the current thinking:
Tier
Requirements
Who It's For
Tier 1 — Full Clearance
Background check + SafeSport + job-specific training
Coaches 10U+, referees (10U+), anyone with unsupervised player contact
Tier 2 — Reduced
Background check + job-specific training (no SafeSport)
6U/8U coaches and refs where parents are on the field (not unsupervised contact). Discussion ongoing — some regions may require Tier 1 for all coaches regardless.
Tier 3 — Youth
No background check — exempt until 18th birthday
Youth referees, youth coach assistants. JDP will warn if someone under 18 attempts screening, and PM will gatekeep at entry.
⚠️ Tiers Are Still Being Finalized
Paula is working through edge cases with the Superuser group (e.g., Kickstart/Epic Buddy leaders as "Player Support" vs coaches, whether regions can mandate Tier 1 for all). The tier a volunteer is assigned in the Governing System determines their compliance requirements — regions control which tier each volunteer gets mapped to.
Import Workflow: What Actually Happens
Pierce clarified the exact mechanics of importing volunteers during the Superusers call. This is important because it means we can get ahead of things without chasing people:
Step 1: Import
We import volunteers (from SC data or manually). They sit in the system in the background. At this point, we choose whether or not to invite them right away.
Step 2: Organize
We can assign coaches to teams and organize staff BEFORE they verify their account. We don't need to wait for them to act first.
Step 3: Invite
When we're ready, we send invitations. Volunteers get prompted to verify their account (first name, last name, email, phone). That's it — they can't do anything else in PM yet (no background screening available), which is fine for now.
Step 4: Track & Remind
We can see who has verified and who hasn't. Send reminders through the system to anyone who hasn't finished. Custom reminder messages supported.
✅ Key Takeaway: We Work Independently of the Volunteers
We don't need to chase volunteers before we can organize. Import → assign to teams → invite in parallel. They catch up on their end when they're ready. This is a much better workflow than SC where you had to wait for account acceptance.
Legacy Data Migration (AYSO National Plan)
Paula has decided to pre-import existing risk data and certifications from the SC Association site into the PM Governing System before AYSOU is available. Here's how this works:
Two-Batch Approach
Batch 1 (soon): All existing volunteer data — background check status, certifications — imported so regions can start the compliance clearance process. Spreads the work out rather than handing the whole pool on July 1st.
Batch 2 (before JDP/AYSOU go live): Incremental update capturing any courses completed or background checks processed in the intervening months. Gets everyone up to date before the switches flip.
How Legacy Data Connects
Imported data sits on the PM Governing System backend — it's not visible until the volunteer is actually added to the Governing System
When a volunteer profile is created in the Governing System, PM does a lookup, recognizes the legacy data, and satisfies the matching requirements automatically
Existing background checks honored until their expiration date (annual renewal)
Green status (cleared) → maps to "Cleared" in PM
Red status (do not use / disqualified) → maps to "Not Cleared"
Rainbow-adjudicated (yellow/brown/orange) → imported with no background check status — they'll go through the process fresh
Blue (youth) → exempt, considered satisfied until 18th birthday
What Volunteers Will See Initially (Before Full Integration)
Item
Visible?
Notes
SafeSport
Yes
Pulled from existing data
Concussion Awareness
Yes
Pulled from existing data
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Yes
Pulled from existing data
Risk / Background Check Status
Yes
Cleared / Not Cleared from import
AYSOU Coaching Licenses
Not Yet
Requires AYSOU integration build — PM currently only shows highest USSF license (sequential model). AYSOU licenses are non-sequential (6U, 10U, 12U, etc.) and require different display logic.
Referee Grades
Not Yet
Separate build step after AYSOU integration
Playground/Schoolyard/Kickstart
TBD
Being debated — may be treated as webinars rather than licenses. Don't show up in SC today either.
💡 The Join Key Question
Annika confirmed the team is still determining the primary key for connecting PM accounts to AYSOU records. Options include email address, SC Association admin IDs/GUIDs, or a combination. Decision: use personal email addresses (not role emails like rc@ayso58.org) to ensure proper matching. The AYSOU data itself is NOT being migrated — eTrainU remains the source of truth. PM is building a lookup/API to fetch current data, not copying it.
Governing System (AYSO National) Not Yet Accessible
Once volunteers are designated as staff in the Club System, the next step is importing them into the Governing System (the purple interface) to trigger compliance. However:
⛔ Governing System Access Is Not Available Yet
PlayMetrics confirmed during the Volunteer Compliance webinar (April 2026): "Right now you don't have access to it… If we give you access to it now, it's not helpful because you might accidentally send volunteers across and the full compliance process is not set up as we need it to." Access will be granted once JDP and AYSOU integrations are finalized.
What It Will Look Like (When Available)
Based on the webinar demo:
You'll have a Club Admin role in the Governing System, accessible by toggling between accounts (blue = Club, purple = Governing)
Under Membership → Staff, you'll click More Actions → Import Staff → Import from Club OS
This opens a selection worksheet showing all staff in your Club System — you select who to send for compliance
You choose which Governing System role each volunteer maps to (Coach, Referee, Board Member, etc.) — this determines their compliance requirements
Once imported, volunteers get an automatic email with a link to complete their compliance requirements
The region controls who gets sent — this saves money because not every "interested" volunteer goes through a background screen, only confirmed ones
Compliance status flows back to the Club System via a "Connected Systems" area so you can track it without staying in the purple interface
What the Volunteer Sees
They receive an email: "You've been added to Region 58 for AYSO. You have requirements to complete."
They log into PlayMetrics → see their member role in the Governing System
Click "Complete Requirements" → provide info (gender, DOB, address), agree to waivers, upload photo
Click "Complete Screening" → redirected to JDP for background check
SafeSport and certifications will be pulled from AYSOU (integration pending)
Fully mobile-friendly — most volunteers complete it on their phones
No need to chase emails — once added to Governing, they can log in anytime and complete requirements
What Happens In the Meantime
Volunteer Type
What to Do Now
Returning volunteers (have SC account)
Continue accessing AYSOU through their Sports Connect portal for courses and certifications. Their compliance history carries forward — Paula is importing risk data and certs into the PM Governing System backend in two batches. When we add them to the Governing System, their legacy data connects automatically.
New volunteers (no SC account)
This is the gap. PlayMetrics is working on guidance for how new volunteers can access AYSOU. No solution available yet.
Background checks (all)
Let the current process continue running. Existing BG checks honored until expiration (annual renewal). Rainbow-adjudicated volunteers (yellow/brown/orange) will be imported with no status — they'll go through the process fresh under new guidelines. If our region is "region pays," continue using the JDP payment form.
Youth volunteers (under 18)
Will be exempt from background screening. PM will gatekeep at entry (preventing screening), and JDP will warn if someone under 18 attempts it. Status treated as "satisfied until 18th birthday" — on their 18th, the system sends a notification that screening is required.
LiveScan / Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting is a separate data migration step. No action needed yet.
✅ Our Existing Automation Still Works
Our Sports Affinity / ETrainU volunteer compliance automation continues to handle compliance tracking for returning volunteers during this transition period. Nothing changes on that front until the Governing System is live and AYSOU is integrated.
Expected Timeline
Now — Capture Interest ✅
Volunteer roles in program, coaching request link, and program questions are all live. Interest is being captured as parents register.
Now — Admin & Director Setup ✅
Sara (RC), Kristen (Treasurer), and other admins are already in the system. They'll sync to Governing automatically when it's available.
After Registration Opens — Coach Assignment
As coaches are identified and teams are formed, assign coaches to teams via League → Assignments. They become staff automatically.
After Registration Opens — Non-Coach Team Staff Import
Once you have a group of non-coach volunteers, run the export/import process to add them as Team Staff on hidden container teams.
Summer 2026 — Governing System Access
PlayMetrics grants access to the Governing System once JDP and AYSOU integrations are finalized. We import staff to trigger compliance.
Summer 2026 — Legacy Data Batch 1
Paula imports existing risk data and certifications from SC Association site into PM Governing System backend. Data sits there until volunteers are added to Governing System, at which point it surfaces automatically.
Summer 2026 — Legacy Data Batch 2
Incremental update capturing courses completed and background checks processed since Batch 1. Brings everyone up to date before JDP/AYSOU switches flip.
Summer 2026 — AYSOU Integration
AYSOU certifications pulled into PlayMetrics via API lookup (eTrainU remains source of truth — no data migration on AYSOU side). SafeSport, concussion, and sudden cardiac arrest visible first. AYSOU coaching licenses require additional build for non-sequential display logic. Referee grades are a separate build step after that.
Summer 2026 — JDP Integration
Background screening through JDP becomes available. Volunteers complete screening through PlayMetrics → JDP flow. Region pays model. Youth (under 18) exempt and gatekept from screening.
Key Details to Know
Personal Emails for Compliance
Everyone should use their personal email for PlayMetrics compliance, not region-role emails (like rc@ayso58.org). This is the data connectivity point for matching PM accounts to AYSOU records. Annika emphasized this repeatedly during the Superusers call — using role emails means next year's RC inherits the wrong compliance profile.
Coaches Get Notified Immediately
When you assign a coach to a team, they're notified immediately. Players are only notified when you click "Notify" — different trigger timing.
One Volunteer, Multiple Teams
A single volunteer can be assigned to as many teams as needed. No limitation of one team per person. Useful for referees and board members who serve across the whole region.
Compliance Requirements Vary by Role
When importing to the Governing System, the role you assign determines compliance requirements. See the Compliance Tiers section above — Tier 1 (full clearance) vs Tier 2 (reduced) vs Tier 3 (youth exempt). The region controls who gets sent and at which tier, which controls cost.
Account Ownership Is Player-Centric
Unlike SC's parent-centric model, PlayMetrics is player-centric. Account owners control which players are shared with which contacts. You can transfer ownership via admin, but the target must have a verified account first. If flipping account owner with multiple kids, you must switch on each player separately. Krista (Region 18) has been cleaning up account ownership during her import — much easier to fix in PM than in SC.
eTrainU Admin Access Recommended
Paula is recommending that all coach admins (RC, CVPA, registrar, division coordinators) have admin access in eTrainU during the interim period. This lets you look up training reports directly if someone swears they have certifications that didn't show up in the import.
Birth Certificate Verification — Separate from Volunteers
Existing BC verifications from Sports Connect transfer through an embedded lookup process. You can set PlayMetrics to delete the BC file after verification. Ongoing verification responsibility stays with the region.
Key learnings from Region 18 (Krista's setup — confirmed working April 29):
Skip toggle: When BC-verified players are imported, a "skip" toggle means they won't be asked to upload a BC during registration — they're already verified. This eliminates the need for a conditional question ("have you provided a BC before?") for imported/verified players.
Can't delete questions once registration is open — only hide them. Plan question structure before go-live.
BC Verification Through Leagues — Step by Step (from Krista + Heather):
Step 1: Connect League to Sanctioning Body — Navigate to Leagues → click the pencil icon next to the league → connect it to the Sanctioning Body you created.
Step 2: Create a Team Assignment — In the League → Assignments Tab → Create Team Assignment. Provide a name (e.g., "League Name | Fall 2026"), choose an assignment type (Heather suggests "Send Notification of Assignment" but it doesn't matter for this step), season is already linked, select your Sign Up Program, then toggle on "Automatically add players based on the criteria below" and select the appropriate Program Package.
Step 3: Configure Columns for BC — Navigate to the League → Players Tab → More Actions → Configure Columns. Connect it to pull in the BC files uploaded during registration. Select "Show League Players currently not rostered to teams" to see the full player pool.
Step 4: Verify — Players populate under the Players Tab where you can see their files and verification status. Krista confirms: "It works great once you set it up." She's writing up notes on the actual verification workflow.
✅ Nothing Happens Until You Hit "Notify"
Creating Team Assignments and pulling players into a league is a sandbox. Parents and players are not notified. You can create teams, assign players, review BC files — none of it is visible to families until you explicitly click "Notify Players." This means we can set up the verification workflow without triggering any parent-facing communication.
Player Verification: A "Verifying Players Through Leagues" feature exists in PM — still being resolved for pilot regions. See: Verifying Players Through Leagues
Our Region 58 approach: Heather recommended removing our conditional BC question since PM will import our BC-verified players and the skip toggle handles them automatically. We've asked Heather to confirm how brand new players (not in our import) would be prompted to upload their BC before we remove the question. Once clarified, we'll follow the same League → Sanctioning Body → Team Assignment workflow Krista has set up.
Compliance gates directly affect Ben's scheduling timeline. Jay's enforcement plan requires BG checks and fingerprinting before team assignment, which must happen before Ben can build schedules. This guide maps the SC→PM scheduling transition and includes the compliance→scheduling dependency timeline.
Player data import happens before registration opens. Volunteer data import (returning coaches, non-coach volunteers) is a related but separate process covered in this compliance guide. Both use CSV import tools in PlayMetrics.
Master project view with all completed steps, pending tasks, and the compliance→scheduling workflow dependency. Includes Kristen's merchant account progress and the full pre-launch sequence.
Staff designations, volunteer roles, and compliance terms map differently between SportsConnect and PlayMetrics. This guide translates 80+ concepts including the ones Jay and other CVPAs will encounter.