Every headline below is a child who trusted an adult on the sidelines. Too often, that adult was never screened — because no one required it. This is the gap Pass The Coach exists to close.
This page discusses abuse in youth sports. It can be heavy. If you or a child you know needs support, resources are listed at the bottom of the page.
of athletes report unwanted sexual contact during their time in sport (U.S. Center for SafeSport, 2024)
of non-consensual sexual touching was committed by a coach or assistant coach — the most common source (SafeSport, 2024)
of youth coaches are volunteers — the group least likely to be screened (Project Play)
children is sexually abused before age 18 (NCYS-cited)
of youth leagues require a background check before an adult coaches children
national laws requiring every volunteer youth coach to be screened and trained
Predators look for access to children with the least oversight. Volunteer youth coaching — often unpaid, urgently understaffed, and rarely screened — is one of the easiest doors to walk through. When a background check isn't required, a record never surfaces, and the same person can move from one league to the next.
Requiring a verified background check and basic safety training for every coach closes that door. That's the entire point of being PTC Approved.
Real, recent cases of volunteer youth coaches accused of harming children. Each is reported by a news outlet — click to read the original story.
Federal prosecutors say a former Lake Charles volunteer coach posed as a woman online to exploit boys over more than a year. Exactly the kind of predator that screening and oversight are meant to keep off the sidelines.
Read the report WFAA · Dallas–Fort Worth, TXPolice say a volunteer youth baseball coach was arrested on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His youth association removed him — but only after a child came forward.
Read the report Texarkana Today · Arkansas · 2025A former volunteer coach faces more than a dozen child sex-abuse charges across four Arkansas counties, court records show — a pattern a single, portable verification could have flagged sooner.
Read the report Honolulu Civil Beat · Hawaiʻi · 2026A lawsuit says a volunteer coach abused a 15-year-old student on a 1970s team trip, with no evidence he ever completed a background check. Decades later, the trauma — and a $400,000 settlement — remain.
Read the report KUOW · Seattle NPR · 2024A KUOW investigation found that oversight laws often don't cover coaches — and a coach already barred from Seattle schools, with a flagged background check, was still allowed to work with students. Two former coaches face abuse allegations.
Read the reportCases reflect news reporting and allegations as published; charges are not convictions unless stated. Links open external news sites.
If you or a child you know has experienced abuse, you are not alone. RAINN (National Sexual Assault Hotline): 800-656-4673 · Childhelp (National Child Abuse Hotline): 800-422-4453. In an emergency, call 911.