October 30, 2023

Dear Club and League Representatives:

Please see the below information that was originally communicated back on August 8, 2023. The links to each resource below needed to be updated in order to work with our new website that was launched last Friday.

CLARIFICATION: In our initial rollout on Adult Athlete Training and Background Screening, MSYSA permitted affiliated clubs/leagues to determine how they intended to monitor and enforce the requirements for ease of monitoring. Due to the confusion this has caused, all affiliated clubs/leagues must now comply with the following:

• An Athlete Background Screening and SafeSport Training are REQUIRED for all athletes who are currently 18 years or older.

• Affiliated MSYSA clubs and leagues may not require any athletes under the age of 18 to complete either requirement, regardless of what age group they play in. The Background Screening and SafeSport Training are not required until athletes turn 18 years old.

• Athletes who are currently 17 years old but will turn 18 during the seasonal year (through July 31^st), are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED, but not required, to obtain a Background Screening and complete the SafeSport Training before the season starts, to avoid a potential lapse in eligibility. Note: Should an athlete turn 18 during the seasonal year but not have completed the Background Screening and SafeSport Training, they would then be considered ineligible and are likely to impact team(s) eligibility.

Please carefully read/review our updated resources and instructions below to assist with implementing the requirements.

• A general summary of information regarding Adult Athlete Risk Management can be found here.
• Instructions intended for adult athletes (aged 18 and above) are available here. This includes information for 17-year-old athletes who will be turning 18 during the season. 
• Information for Club Administrators is available here.

Should you have any questions after reviewing our resources, please contact the MSYSA State Office.

Sincerely,

MSYSA State Office

[email protected]