Coach Safely Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 3
HOUSE BILL 602
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25
Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 5/6/25

Short Title: Coach Safely Act. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 1, 2025
*H602-v-3*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ANNUAL TRAINING R EQUIREMENT FOR PERSO NS 2
SERVING AS PART OF T HE ATHLETICS PERSONN EL OR COACHING STAFF OF 3
ASSOCIATIONS THAT CONDUCT YOUTH ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES ON PROPERTY 4
OWNED, LEASED, MANAGED, OR MAINTAINED BY THE STATE OR ANY OF ITS 5
POLITICAL SUBDIVISIO NS; AND DIRECTING TH E DEPARTMENT OF HEAL TH 6
AND HUMAN SERVICES T O APPROVE COURSES TH AT MEET THIS ANNUAL 7
TRAINING REQUIREMENT. 8
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 9
SECTION 1. This act shall be known as "The Coach Safely Act." 10
SECTION 2. Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 11
Article to read: 12
"Article 18A. 13
"The Coach Safely Act for the Protection of Youth Athletes. 14
"§ 130A-443.10. Definitions. 15
The following definitions apply in this Article: 16
(1) Association. – An organization that sponsors or conducts high -risk youth 17
athletic activities on property owned, leased, managed, or maintained by the 18
State or any of its political subdivisions. The term includes a city, county, 19
business, or nonprofit orga nization that organizes community -based youth 20
athletic events on such property. 21
(2) Athletics personnel. – Athletic directors and other persons actively involved 22
in organizing, training, or coac hing athletic activities for youth who are 18 23
years of age or younger. 24
(3) Coach or coaching staff . – Any person, whether paid, unpaid, volunteer, or 25
interim, who has been approved by an association to organize, train, or 26
supervise a youth athlete or team of youth athletes. The term includes an y 27
person who has not been approved by an association but has been selected by 28
a youth athlete or a team of youth athletes to organize, train, or supervise the 29
youth athlete or team of you th athletes when the person approved by an 30
association is unavailable. 31
(4) Department. – The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of 32
Public Health. 33
(5) Youth athlete. – A youth who is 18 years of age or younger and participates 34
in an organized sport. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 602-Third Edition
"§ 130A-443.12. Annual training requirement for athletics personnel and coaches. 1
(a) Each association shall require any person who is actively engaged in or serving as 2
part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff to complete a youth sports injury education course 3
that has been approved by the Department under G.S. 130A-443.14. The association shall offer 4
the training required by this section free of charge to each person who is actively engaged in or 5
serving as part of its athletics personnel or coaching staff. 6
(b) Each person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel 7
or coaching staff of an association is required to complete the youth sports injury education 8
course offered by the association pursuant to subsection (a) of this section within 30 days after 9
first becoming actively engaged in or serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or 10
coaching staff, and annually thereafter by the anniversary of the date on which the person became 11
actively engaged in or started serving as part of the association's athletics personnel or coaching 12
staff. 13
(c) Each association that has athletics personnel or coaching staff who are required to 14
complete a youth sports injury education course in accordance with this section shall maintain 15
an individual record of course completion for each member of the association's athletics 16
personnel or coaching staff for as long as the person serves in that capacity. 17
(d) The requirement to complete a youth sports injury education course established by 18
this section does not app ly to any of the following persons who have completed training in 19
advanced trauma life support: 20
(1) Athletic trainers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 21
(2) Physicians licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 22
(3) Nurses licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes. 23
(4) Advanced emergency medical technicians, e mergency medical responders, 24
and emergency medical services -nurse practitioners , as these terms are 25
defined in G.S. 131E-155. 26
(5) Other healthcare practitioners. 27
"§ 130A-443.14. Department approval of youth sports injury education courses; limitation. 28
The Department shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence-based, best 29
practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association , National Council of Youth 30
Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education that may be 31
used to fulfill the requirements of G.S. 130A-443.12. The Department shall not approve any 32
youth sports injury education course that omits any of the following topics: 33
(1) Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease 34
the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged 35
or participating in youth athletic activities. 36
(2) Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to 37
traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities. 38
(3) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques. 39
(4) Concussions and head trauma. 40
(5) Heat and extreme weather-related injuries. 41
(6) Physical conditioning and training equipment usage. 42
(7) Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death. 43
"§ 130A-443.16. Defense to claims of liability against athletics personnel and coaches. 44
A person who is actively engaged in or serving as part of the athletics personnel or coaching 45
staff of an association shall not be liable in any action that arises from an injury sustained by a 46
youth athlete as a result of the y outh athlete's participation in a youth athletic activity upon a 47
demonstration that the athletics personnel member or coach did both of the following: 48
(1) Completed the sports injury education course required by G.S. 130A-443.12. 49
(2) Reasonably conformed his or her conduct to the safety techniques and 50
methods identified in the sports injury education course." 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 602-Third Edition Page 3
SECTION 3.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public 1
Health (Department), shall approve one or more courses that meet the evidence -based, best 2
practice standards of the National Athletic Training Association, National Council of Youth 3
Sports, or other nationally recognized organization for youth sports injury education by October 4
1, 2025. The Department shall not approve any youth sports injury education course that omits 5
any of the following topics: 6
(1) Safety techniques and methods that can be undertaken by coaches to decrease 7
the likelihood that a youth athlete will sustain a serious injury while engaged 8
or participating in youth athletic activities. 9
(2) Emergency preparedness and planning, and rehearsal for responding to 10
traumatic injuries sustained during youth athletic activities. 11
(3) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and general first aid techniques. 12
(4) Concussions and head trauma. 13
(5) Heat and extreme weather-related injuries. 14
(6) Physical conditioning and training equipment usage. 15
(7) Heart defects and abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death. 16
SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law. 17
SECTION 4. Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective August 1, 18
2026, and applies to causes of action arising on or after that date. 19