CYO Coaches' Workshops

To Coaches and Parents:
"Everything you say and do, the way you say it and the way you do it becomes a lesson for your athletes and will leave an indelible mark in their lives, for better or for worse."
– Pope Francis 2019

2019 - 2020
CYO Coaches' Certification

CYO is a ministry of the Diocese of Oakland with expectations to train and screen all coaches who lead and interact with young people.  CYO Coaches Workshops allow ooaches to gather in prayer, to reflect on coaching chidlren with an emphasis on Gospel values, and to receive policies and information about coaching in CYO. Diocesan Training and Screening requriements help ensure that adults will safely interact with young people.

All CYO Coaches must be certified to coach prior to each sports season. This page contains certification requirements, safe environment requirements and current information on CYO Coaches' Certification Workshops.

CYO Coaches' Certification Workshops

Workshops to certify coaches are held prior to the beginning of each sport season. Coaches must attend a Coaches' Certification Workshop annually and meet program,  safe enviroment training and screening requirements to be certified to coach in CYO.

Attendance at a Workshop prior to coaching in the sport season is mandatory for all coaches and assistant coaches. Without a certified coach, a team may not participate in CYO.

Announcements of dates, times, and locations of workshops will be distributed to the CYO athletic directors and posted on this web page, prior to each sport season.

Workshops will include prayer, CYO philosophy, rules, policies and safety procedures..

It is required that each coach complete Virtus safe environment training and cleared through Livescan fingerprint screening prior to workng with children and CYO certification. See the Diocesan Safe Environment Training section below for details.

To verify that Safe Environment Training and Screening Requirements have been completed, coaches must bring a copy of their Virtus Training Report Page or the Summary Page (not the training certificate) to workshop registration OR be prepared to show the page on your smartphone.  The Trianing Report page is found on the Virtus Website under the Training Compliance Menu Bar. The Summary Page is a tab.  To complete certification requirements and receive a certification card at the workshop, a training date after July 1, 2017 AND a Live Scan Clearance date must be indicated.  

CYO Coaches Certification Cards - Certification cards are presented to coaches at the end of each workshop who complete program requirements. All coaches should carry their certification cards with them to all games and be prepared to present them when requested by game referees or gym monitors. Failure to prove current certification within 48 hours of the game will result in a forfeit of that game. Any person on the team bench (excluding team members and scorekeepers) must have a valid CYO certification card.

Additional Certification Requriements - CYO certified coaches of the team must be of high school age or older. Coaches must be selected and approved to coach by their parish or Catholic school, and then complete Safe Environment Training and the screening process and be selected and approved to coach by their parish or Catholic school  Coaches must agree to follow the "Diocesan Safe Environment "Code of Conduct Involving Interaction with Minors."

Coaches who are under 18 years of age - must attend a coaches workshop, and review and complete the "Code of Conduct for Minors Volunteering or Working with Younger Children." They should not complete Virtus Safe Environment training nor are they required to be fingerprinted.

Diocesan Safe Environment Training
Required for All CYO Coaches

It is required that each coach complete Virtus safe environment training. (These trainings are NOT included in the coaches' workshops.) Coaches can complete the Virtus training "on line" or attend a "live training" in the parish or Catholic School prior to attending a workshop. For the Virtus online course, visit virtusonline.org. 

ALL COACHES, NEW AND RETURNING, are required to complete or to recomplete the VIRTUS Safe Environment Training (SET) Course, to be completed after July 1, 2017. 

• Oakland Diocese Safe Environment Training Information
• Link to Virtus Online Safe Environment Training

Fingerprint Screening for CYO Volunteers

All CYO coaches, athletic directors, track/cross country coordinators and cheerleader moderators are required to be fingerprinted and cleared.  Volunteers must be Live Scanned for the Diocese of Oakland.

Coaches who have been successfully fingerprinted for the Diocese of Oakland (CYO or another diocesan agency) do not have to be re-fingerprinted.

CYO volunteers may be fingerprinted at CYO Opportunities, Diocesan-approved Fingerprint Vendors and outside live scan providers.

If you need assistance, email Grace House at ghouse@oakdiocese.org or Diana Bitz at dbitz@oakdiocese.org

Catholic Youth Organization
Diocese of Oakland2121 Harrison Street , Oakland CA 94612
510-893-5154 • Fax 510-834-5498

Bill Ford, CYO Director
Grace House, Administrative Assistant

CYO Email