Manual: Operations-USSF_API

Feature USSF_API permits a Site to establish a connection to the U.S. Soccer Digital Learning Center and retrieve Licensing information about individuals by USSF_ID for use within the Organization.

Paths

The USSF tracks over 60 different Licenses that we've grouped into collections, each of which we call a Path, which map reasonably well to the RidgeStar Role used to identify individuals and their characteristics.

Commonly used examples of Path values are Assessor, Assignor, BackgroundCheck, Beach, Coach, CoachingDirector, CoachInstructor, Educator, Futsal, GoalKeeping, Indoor, Instructor, Medical, Referee, and SafeSport.

Typically, an individual registered with the USSF is required by USSF to provide certain information and/or perform certain tasks (Training) to receive a designated USSF License. As an example, once certain USSF specified conditions are satisfied, an individual may become a licensed Referee and, more specifically, be given a specific Referee designation (e.g. Grassroots Referee).

The USSF_API can contact the USSF and determine when and if a specific User currently holds the corresponding License in a real-time connection. Further, the USSF_API can be configured to automatically receive any updates that might occur for the USSF_ID (e.g. License Renewals, Upgrades, etc.).

Contact your RidgeStar Account Representative to activate the Feature on your site (if you are interested). Make sure and let them know which of the Path elements you are interested in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the License Information stored?

The USSF License information associated with an individual is stored in the Users table entry identifying the individual. The specific License_id and it's Expiration is stored for each Path the Site chooses to monitor.

Can I test the License_id in SelfAssign?

Yes, the standard License Rule can be used to authorize specific License levels for Self Assignment

Does it require Webmaster involvement to operate the USF_API?

Generally, no. Once configured and operational, the USSF_API and related offline processing is fully automatic.

The webmaster will be required to make sure that new Users provide an appropriate USSF_ID. The USSF_API does offer some tools that can be used to look up the USSF_ID by Name and Date of Birth, if a User does not already have or know his/her USSF_ID.

Does the Audit contain entries for the automated License adjustments?

Yes, as the system operates any changes to the Users table are audited and recorded for historical purposes.