Dear USA Hockey Official,

As you know, the USA Hockey SafeSport Program was implemented in full last season and included training of officials. The USA Hockey SafeSport Program is designed to prevent abuse and maximize the safety of our participants in the off-ice environment. The SafeSport Training is part of the program and is intended to heighten awareness of those that are in supervisory positions over youth participants; officials over 18 are included in that group of persons supervising youth participants. In the 2013-14 season, all officials over 18 were strongly encouraged to complete the SafeSport training, and the training was required for officials to be eligible to officiate in State, District and National Tournaments.

For the 2014-15 season, all officials over the age of 18 will be required to complete the SafeSport Training as a condition of completing their referee registration. This means that, like completion of your seminar and test requirements, you must complete the SafeSport Training prior to receiving your card and crest. The SafeSport Training is valid for 2 seasons. Thus if you took the training for 2013-14, you will not need to take the training again until the 2015-16 season (at which time a shorter “refresher” course will be available).

The SafeSport Training is available for you to take right now so you can get a head start on your certification requirements. The training is available at no cost. The training was produced by the United States Olympic Committee and is comprised of short video segments that take approximately 90 minutes to complete, however, not all training needs to be completed in one session. You will need your USA Hockey Referee Number, or if you are also registered as a player, coach or manager you can use your USA Hockey Member Number, which can be obtained at www.usahockeyregistration.com (under Member Options, click on ‘Request Duplicate Registration Confirmation’).

Information on how to register and access the SafeSport training can be found on our website at http://www.usahockey.com/page/show/909009-safesport-program-training-. Also, please be sure to select the USA Hockey SafeSport course as there are multiple courses available. The website also has links if you have questions about the training or on registering for the training.

We strongly encourage you to get a head start on your 2014-15 referee registration requirements, and complete the SafeSport Training this summer. Thank you for your support in helping make our sport as safe as possible!

Sincerely,