What is the U.S. Center for SafeSport?

The U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center) is an independent nonprofit committed to building a sport community where participants can work and learn together free of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and misconduct.

In a recent USTA Net Generation parents webinar, 'Staying Safe and Winning Big: A Webinar on Competition and Player Safety,' Patrick Caldwell, training manager at the Center, joins host Dr. Shawn Foltz-Emmons to discuss what the Center is all about.

Here are the top takeaways from the webinar: 

• Any form of misconduct by a parent, coach, or player is going to limit the player’s potential. It also has the potential for long-term, severe negative consequences for the emotional development of the player. It is imperative that parents, coaches, tournament staff and players become educated on preventing, recognizing, and responding to misconduct.

• Adult Participants (as defined by the USTA Safe Play Policy), which include USTA members, tournament directors, USTA-certified officials, and others who are Safe Play approved, are mandatory reporters. This means they have a legal obligation to report suspicions of child abuse, child sexual abuse, or child neglect immediately to law enforcement and the Center. Reports of sexual misconduct need to be made immediately to the Center, and law enforcement if the matter involves possible criminal conduct. If something does not sit right with you, please make a report. Click here for more information on how to report to the Center. 

• Emotional and Physical Misconduct, and USTA Safe Play Proactive Policy violations, can be made to the USTA Safe Play department. For more information on reporting, click here. Examples of violations of the SafeSport Code include: inappropriate touching, repeatedly and excessively mocking a player, forcing a player back into competition before they are medically cleared, withholding water, repeated and excessive verbal attacks, throwing tennis racquets at someone, isolating a player for long time periods, bullying, and hazing. If you see something, say something.

• The Center maintains a database of individuals connected with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements who are either subject to certain temporary restrictions pending investigation by the Center, or are subject to certain sanctions after an investigation found them in violation of the SafeSport Code. The USTA maintains a similar database of individuals specific to tennis.