Coaches Accreditation

The New Jersey Administrative Code sets forth qualifications for the coaching of public school pupils. These qualifications are found at NJ.A.C. 6A:9-5.19, as follows:

NJ.A.C. 6A:9-5.19 Athletics personnel
(a) Any teaching staff member in the employ of a district board of education shall be permitted to organize public school pupils for purposes of coaching or for conducting games, events or contests in physical education or athletics.

(b) School districts shall be permitted to employ any holder of a New Jersey teaching certificate to work in the interscholastic athletic program provided that the position has been advertised.

(c) In the event there is no qualified and certified applicant, the holder of a county substitute credential pursuant to NJ.A.C. 6A:9-6.5 is authorized to serve as an athletic coach in the district in which he or she is employed for a designated sports season, provided that:

1. The district chief school administrator demonstrates to the county superintendent that:
   i. The vacant coaching position had been advertised; and
   ii. There was no qualified applicant based on the written standards of the district board of education;

2. The district chief school administrator provides a letter to the county superintendent attesting to the prospective employee’s knowledge and experience in the sport in which he or she will coach; and

3. The district board of education obtains the county superintendent’s approval prior to such employment. The 20-day limitation noted in NJ.A.C. 6A:9-6.5(b) shall not apply to such coaching situations.

NJSIAA Coaching Certification and Regulations

In addition to State Department of Education Regulations, the following regulations must be adhered to:

A person shall be eligible to coach in any interscholastic contest, provided the person satisfies all of the conditions listed below (For the purposes of this section, “coach” shall mean all persons who coach an interscholastic high school athletic team in any way, whether for pay or as a volunteer at the varsity, junior varsity and/or freshman level – ninth grade through twelve grade).

In addition to State Department of Education Regulations, the following regulations must be adhered to:

A.      The person’s appointment as coach must be approved by the local educational agency responsible for the member school at which the person coaches.

B.      All new coaches will have 120 days after being hired to register for the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching (Blended Version) course.  Upon completion of the classroom components, coaches will have sixty (60) days to complete the remaining four (4) components.  A certificate of course completion must be submitted to respective athletic supervisors by June 30th to be eligible to coach at an NJSIAA member school for the subsequent school year.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAY A COACH TAKE THE NFHS FUNDMENTALS of COACHING COURSE COMPLETELY ON-LINE

C.      All coaches must hold a current certificate in CPR, AED and Basic First Aid.  Online CPR/AED training courses do not satisfy this requirement.

D.      Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year all coaches must successfully complete a basic first aid course when renewing or completing CPR/AED certification.

E.       All coaches must have Concussion Awareness training through an on-line course or an in-service program, renewed annually. - NFHS Concussion in Sports Course

F.       All coaches must obtain a “Heat Acclimatization Awareness and Wellness” certificate or its equivalent, renewed annually. - NFHS Heat Illness Prevention

G.     Coaches currently in place, and/or who have experience coaching in an NJSIAA high school prior to the 2006-2007 school year, will be exempt from provisions B above.  (While experienced coaches will not be required to adhere to all of the provisions listed above, it is recommended that all coaches complete the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching.)

Note:  The above regulations do not apply to the coaches appointed by the school to accompany student athletes to individual events.

County Superintendents are involved in the approval of employment of athletic coaches in school districts under certain circumstances [N.J.A.C. 6:11-3.24].

The purpose of this information is to provide clarification of issues involving employment of coaches so that consistent decisions and advice are rendered to districts in all counties.