Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
There are five subjects required by the Coach Safely Act:
(1) Emergency preparedness, planning, and rehearsal for traumatic injuries,
(2) Concussions and head trauma,
(3) Heat and extreme weather-related injury familiarization,
(4) Physical conditioning and training equipment usage and
(5) Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death.
To be certified, you must either complete a course that is approved to cover all five subjects, or complete five individual courses that are approved to cover just one of the five subjects.
There are five approved courses that cover all five subjects, meaning if you take one of these courses and receive certification then you are fully certified. These courses are:
(1) The Arkansas Department of Health’s Coach Safely Course that is located on this portal
(2) Coach Safely Foundation’s course
(3) USA Football’s course
(4) What Athletic Coaches Need to Know by Terry DeWitt
(5) National Alliance for Youth Sports
If you do not take one of the five courses listed above, the alternative is to take one course in each of the five subjects in our approved course list. This means you would have five separate certificates. The information for these courses is provided on ADH’s Coach Safely webpage.
Certification lasts for one (1) calendar year from the date you took the course. Coaches are responsible for tracking their certification date and ensuring to re-certify on or before the date of previous certification. For example, if you took the course and received certification on October 22nd, 2024 you must re-certify on or before October 22nd, 2025. Re certification is only necessary if you plan to continue coaching. This applies to all certificates, not just the course on this portal.
The Arkansas Department of Health’s Coach Safely Course is free to all. Other approved courses listed may have costs associated.
As outlined by the Coach Safely Act, it is on the individual coach and/or sports organization to keep track of certificates for themselves or their personnel. In order to better serve Arkansans, if a coach receives certification from the Arkansas Department of Health’s Coach Safely Course after creating an account on this portal, an email reminder will be sent to the email address on file when the certification will expire in one (1) month.
If a coach took a different course for certification from an organization other than the Arkansas Department of Health, contact the specific organization to inquire.
Ultimately, liability falls on the associations to ensure that coaches are up to date on certifications.
No, there is no requirement to upload any certificates from other organizations. The option is offered in case individuals feel the need to or want a place to secure their certificate(s).