New pathways for the USA Lacrosse Coach Development Program (CDP) and Official Development Program (ODP) are rolling out as the organization continues to expand its educational offerings.
Listed below are some of the key changes for CDP and ODP in 2024:
Coaches
- Existing coach certification levels are being reclassified from Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
- Bronze certification coursework is included with membership and must be completed by all coach members for certification. It includes the free background check and online abuse prevention course previously required for coach members along with short coursework on cardiac care, concussions, and cultural competency. These courses provide a great foundation and resources for coaches to provide a safe environment for their players.
- The next certification levels focus more on the x and o’s of coaching lacrosse. There is a nominal fee for these other levels — Silver, Gold and Platinum. Existing Level 1 coach members will automatically transition to Silver, Level 2 to Gold and Level 3 to Platinum at no charge though they will still need to fulfill the Bronze requirements for 2024 certification. Read more on the changes to the certification program.
- The library of online courses on the USA Lacrosse E-Learning platform has been revamped. Top college coaches and U.S. national team athletes are among the instructors in these courses, including Gerry Byrne, John Danowski, Meg Douty, Ally Mastorianni, Nick Myers and Caylee Waters. These courses can be found in the, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. More on E-learning.
- In addition, USA Lacrosse has a new interactive virtual series covering a variety of foundational coaching topics. The series will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 10 and continue for 12 weeks through the end of March. This series is not part of the certification pathway.
Officials
- There are no changes to the Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 and Junior certification requirements for officials.
- There are new educational offerings that supplement the standard USA Lacrosse officials training. These modules are packaged as either Apprentice and Advanced programs and include a suite of online courses and “office hours" for the Apprentice members featuring a live Q&A with a USA Lacrosse trainer. More on E-learning.
- In addition, there are also live virtual trainings on Zoom led by USA Lacrosse trainers and college officials. They can be purchased individually or in a season package are available for purchase.
