OSA Membership Guide

O H I O S O C C E R A S S O C I AT I O N

MEMBER BENEFITS

GUIDE

A STATE UNITED

Ohio Soccer Association’s singular goal is to support, inspire, and grow soccer by unlocking the potential within every community.

We support clubs, leagues, teams, coaches, referees, parents, and players with resources, expertise, and programs that make it easier for everyone to get involved and stay in the game. We stand for innovation, integrity, teamwork, inclusion, and trust.

Our member leagues and clubs enjoy a host of benefits that make it easier to manage registration, programming, safety, risk, and recruitment. Some benefits even extend to your players’ families, making it easier for them to save money and offset costs.

We want to help each organization develop and achieve its own goals, its own way, with the support and flexibility of a state united.

OPERAT I ONAL SUPPORT Ohio Soccer Association (OSA) strives to offer greater flexibility to our members by encouraging them to accomplish their own organizational goals while supporting player, coach, club, and league development to grow the game.

From operational guidelines to board structure to templates and much more, OSA can support your organizational needs.

RISK MANAGEMENT WITH SAFE SOCCER

Serving as your risk management team is the most valuable benefit OSA offers.

Our automated and digitized system, powered by the risk experts at Player’s Health, enables OSA to serve as your compliance officer, managing paperwork and keeping current with the ever-changing requirements surrounding SafeSport, Return-to-Play concussion protocols, and Lindsay’s Law. The five aspects of Safe Soccer that Player’s Health is helping OSA revolutionize are:

• Abuse awareness & prevention training

• Reporting structure & process

• Digital abuse reporting & documentation platform

• Emergency action plans

• Background screening

With fearless ingenuity, sports expertise, and digital smarts, the Player’s Health team innovates turnkey risk management solutions for OSA members, so you no longer have that burden to carry. They handle the hassle so that, hopefully, you won’t need an emergency action plan — but they’ll stay right by your side if you ever do.

INSURANCE

Our organization provides general liability and participant-accident medical coverage for members while conducting operations on behalf of OSA.

General Liability

Our general liability insurance covers OSA member leagues, clubs, officers, directors, coaches, employees, teams, team officials, and volunteers while acting on OSA’s behalf.

Participant Accident Medical

Insured participants include all registered team members, coaches, managers, referees, officials, and volunteers of the club, team, league, or organization.

Directors & Officers

This benefit is for full members and protects an organization, its directors, officers, employees, and volunteers against lawsuits alleging financial mismanagement, discrimination, failure to abide by the rules or bylaws in making an administrative decision, and other types of claims not covered by general liability insurance.

SPORTS MANAGEMENT PLATFORM

We are proud to partner with Demosphere’s robust sports management technology for our registration platform to provide best-in-class solutions for leagues and clubs.

Some highlights of the Demosphere system:

• A user-friendly interface • Streamlined payment processing • Full Safe Soccer integration — SafeSport, Lindsay’s Law, concussion training, and background checks

• Intuitive financial reconciliation (reports and accounting) • A single-sign-on ecosystem • Mobile friendly • Website option

NONPROFIT COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE

As you know, people with significant responsibilities come and go within your organization. Where are all of your essential documents? Who has them?

By giving member organizations access to best practice tools and resources, OSA makes it easier to manage articles of incorporation, maintenance of nonprofit status, 990 reports, and more. This added benefit can make OSA an essential part of simplifying the nonprofit compliance process for organizations that wish to participate.

LEAGUE MANAGEMENT

When OSA manages your league, you can expect growth and retention.

Our league management at a glance includes:

• Professional & expanded member services team & programs

• Flexible & simplified best practices and standards

• Best-in-class Safe Soccer compliance management

• Reduction in operational overhead and the opportunity to grow the game

• Expert & robust league management technology

GROWT H & DEVELOPMENT CLUB DEVELOPMENT

OSA provides governance and board structure, player-homework programs, curriculum development, mentor development, and more!

COACH & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

OSA offers community-based player and coach development support.

Coaching Education

• Conducts U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coaching Education (GRCE) courses to members at discounted rates • Conducts in-person or virtual coach development clinics

Coach Mentoring

• Provides mentoring and ongoing development experiences to qualified and potential U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coaching Education (GRCE) instructors • Provides periodic advisory services to members to develop club mentors operating in the Grassroots Pathway

Research & Analysis for Players & Coaches • Conducts annual surveys to assess:

– Player motivation and enjoyment – Coaches’ satisfaction and development needs – Club support and development needs

REFEREE DEVELOPMENT

In partnership with the Ohio South State Referee Committee (OSSRC) and Ohio North State Referee Committee (ONSRC), OSA supports a robust referee-development program across the state.

Referees 14 years old and older are provided with on- and off-field training and various mentor academies and fitness tests for referees of all skill levels.

In addition, OSSRC and ONSRC oversee all game assignments through a comprehensive referee assignor network. In any given year, OSSRC and ONSRC certify over 4,000 referees to officiate during the seasonal year.

PROGRAMMING COMPETITIVE LEAGUES

OSA governs competitive league programming that provides top teams the opportunity to compete against the best teams at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

CUP SERIES

OSA supports and sanctions statewide tournaments and events for all levels of play.

• The State Cup is Ohio’s most coveted championship.

• The Presidents Cup is focused on those teams seeking to play in the second-highest level of state competition.

• The Governors Cup is another state event option, specifically for teams seeking state-level competition without advancement to a regional competition.

• The Bothwell Cup is a competitive weekend event for Ohio Soccer Association’s grassroots and community programs.

ESPORTS

Play Social, Play Safe, Play Fun … Play MORE In partnership with GYO Score, OSA provides the #1 place for kids of all ages to play safely online, create new friendships, and build social skills while having fun!

OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

ODP creates competitive opportunities for elite players to pursue more significant achievements and the opportunity to advance along the ODP player pathway.

Selected players get:

• Exposure to new team coaches • Opportunities to participate in foreign tours • Elite instruction from licensed coaches

• Competition with the best of the best • The chance to grow their passion for the game

The state’s best players try out and are selected based on: • Technical range • Tactical insight

• Soccer personality • Speed of play

• Attitude & enthusiasm

TOPSOCCER

We’re all about growing the game for anyone who wants to play.

TOPSoccer invites young athletes with special needs to enjoy the game at a community-based training and team-placement program in a fun, safe, and inclusive environment.

In addition, Cincinnati TOPSoccer hosts the Fall Classic, one of the greatest TOPSoccer events in the Midwest. OSA is proud to support this successful event that includes:

• Friendly competition • Family carnival • Games and activities for everyone

• Rides and live entertainment • Lots of food

GET IN THE

GAME! Take advantage of all the benefits that

Ohio Soccer Association membership has to offer.

Visit ohio-soccer.org for full details. email: office@ohio-soccer.org call: 513-576-9555 or 330-667-0850

@theohiosoccer

@theohiosoccer

Proudly Sponsored by:

MEMBER

theohiosoccer