NCSI, known as the Gold Standard provider of background screening programs for youth serving organizations, is the authorized provider for USA Pickleball’s national screening program. NCSI has been a trailblazer in youth protection for nearly two decades and is recognized by the National Council of Youth Sports for its pioneering work. NCSI provides services to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as well as to more than 60 national governing bodies in sport. NCSI is accredited by the Professional Background Screeners Association and has offices in Cleveland, Ohio and Marietta, Georgia.

Please reach out to NCSI with any questions or concerns you may have. NCSI can be reached via email: support@ncsisafe.com or by calling 866-996-7412. NCSI’s normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern Time. We will typically respond to you the same day or within one business day.

Generally, background checks are completed within 3-5 days. However, delays are possible, so please plan accordingly. If you have an international search component that is needed as part of your screen, please allow at least 2-4 weeks for completion. Please note that NCSI will send email notices every 72 hours, reminding you of your screening. You may also receive reminder notices from your Regional Leadership.

The background screening application requires the submission of a:

• full legal name
• address
• date of birth
• social security number

USA Pickleball is committed to the safety of athletes and participants involved in the sport of pickleball. As with most national governing bodies, USAP requires background checks in order to foster a safe environment for others when representing USA Pickleball and protect persons at risk, including, but not limited to, minors and vulnerable adults

When we established the screening program with NCSI this year, we agreed that we would run with the same screening program they run for all the other US NGBs (60+). They said this screening protocol was established by the USOPC and requires a full SSAN. USA Pickleball considered various options regarding the requirement to provide a SSAN. However, from our NCSI contact's email below, you can see the limitation this would create for us, for everyone:

Through the USA Pickleball Policy (and USOPC), the SSN is a requirement for all those who have a Social Security number. The full Social Security number is used to validate the identity and develop 7 years of address history to determine the search of the county and federal districts. NCSI's acceptable alternative for the Social Security number is to require an ID that can validate the name and date of birth. However, what we would not have, using an ID only, is the address history for the last 7 years. As a result, NCSI would only be able to search the jurisdictions based on the current address provided. 

NCSI is aligned with industry best practices regarding data security, including high-level encryption to protect information submitted online. Internal security measures ensure that your personal information is only viewed as needed to process your screen by qualified personnel who are trained in handling confidential data. NCSI is PCI-compliant and does not share any personal information with third parties. Please note that the secure server that NCSI uses will contact you from automation@instascreen.net, so please ensure you have this email address as an accepted domain so you do not miss communication from NCSI.

No, USA Pickleball and/or NCSI are NOT processing a credit check on anyone going through the background screening process.

USA Pickleball requires that specific members have a current background screen completed by NCSI. NCSI is the only background screening provider accepted by USA Pickleball, and as a matter of policy, we cannot accept screening results from another agency. Each organization that conducts background screening uses a unique set of criteria and number of years that are being searched, as well as diverse re-screen policies.

If more information is needed to complete your background screen, then NCSI will notify you via email. These messages are dispatched from the NCSI Verification Team using our server: automation@instascreen.net. Your local affiliate name and your screening file number will appear in the subject line of the verification email.

You will be provided an opportunity to alert NCSI of any questions or potential errors on your report. Email will be our primary way of communicating with you, so be sure to provide an accurate email address and check it regularly until your screen is complete. For any questions regarding inaccuracies, please reach out to qc@ncsisafe.com.

NCSI’s registration process is best completed using a desktop or laptop. While it may be possible to complete your registration on a cell phone, the experience will be easier on a desktop or laptop.

Yes. An active email address is required in order to complete your background screening. NCSI’s primary form of communication with you is via email. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you provide an email address and that you check it frequently following your initial application. Please add @ncsisafe.com and @instascreen.net to your accepted email domain list to receive notifications from NCSI.

Yes. Any USAP member who is required to complete a background screening and is not a U.S. citizen or does not reside in the United States should follow the special instructions for completing an NCSI international background check. For assistance and instructions, please contact ambassadorhelp@usapickleball.org.

The cost of the background screening is $40 for new ambassadors. USA Pickleball requires ambassadors to complete an additional background screening every two years. For those due for renewal, the screening must be completed in 2026. Ambassadors who are new in 2026 are exempt from the additional screening requirement this year.

For Champion Members, the cost of the background screening is included as part of their membership.

An international search is required for U.S. citizens who have lived outside of the United States for six consecutive months in any one country during the past seven years. If you have lived in both the U.S. and another country for six consecutive months or more in the past seven years, you would require both the domestic and international screens. Please make sure you have ncsisafe.com as an approved domain on your email, as you will receive emails with additional paperwork based on the country or countries that need to be screened.

The cost of an international background search varies by country and is determined by NCSI. USAP charges the applicable cost of the international background screening to the member. For more information about international background screening costs, please contact ambassadorhelp@usapickleball.org.

You can check the status of your background screening by going to www.ncsisafe.com and clicking on “Status Check.” NCSI does not provide a verbal status of background screenings to registrants.

NCSI performs one or more county court searches and federal district court searches as part of the background screening. These involve getting information directly from the courts in question. Some courts may return information to NCSI the same day, while others can take longer. Once NCSI has information back from the courts, it is processed right away. Other delays may result when NCSI requests additional information from you. You can check your status online by visiting ncsisafe.com/status. In addition, check your email regularly for communication from NCSI regarding your background screening.

NCSI will send a notice to you via email with relevant instructions. This notice will come to you in the days following your initial application if your group or affiliate is not paying for your background screen. It is very important that you check your email and respond promptly to this request, since your background screening will be on hold until you respond

USA Pickleball can be made aware of the content provided on a background screening report. Limited staff members of USA Pickleball will have access to the screening report.

A “Clear/Green Light” indicates criminal record information relating to USA Pickleball’s criteria was not sourced or reportable in the process and therefore a “Clear/Green Light” report was issued to USA Pickleball.

A “Flagged/Red Light” indicates that criminal record information relating to USA Pickleball’s screening criteria was sourced in the process and therefore a “Flagged/Red Light” report was issued to USA Pickleball for review.

Yes, simply go to https://solutions.ncsisafe.com/ and click “Applicant Submission and Status Check.” Once there, select ‘check status of your background screen’ and fill in the identifying information. The option to receive your report will be available.

A completed screen is valid for one year and will be re-screened by NCSI the following year. Notice Regarding Annual Re-screening: One of the features provided by our background check program is an annual recheck. For the period that your background check authorization is valid, this recheck will automatically occur on or about the anniversary date of your background check submission date. This recheck keeps our program current and up to date without the need for you to re-register with NCSI every year. If you choose to leave USA Pickleball and/or resign as an ambassador during this period, USAP will stop the NCSI recheck.

Background checks are required every two years for both Certified Referees and USA Pickleball Ambassadors. All ambassadors must complete the screening in 2026. Ambassadors who are new in 2026 are exempt from the additional screening requirement this year.

For Champion Members, the cost of the background screening is included as part of their membership.

The screening form does not allow you to page forward. However, we have provided screen captures of what each page of your screening process looks like:

Email Invitation: 

Application Greeting from NCSI

Application Page 1: Electronic Signature Consent

Application Page 2: Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation

Application Page 3: FCRA Summary of Your Rights

(This is a partial view only. As a Consumer Reporting Agency, NCIS is required to provide a copy of this document during the application process to each consumer. PLEASE NOTE: there are no questions regarding your finances. There is no credit check being processed. FCRA compliance is simply a Consumer Reporting requirement.)

Application Page 4: City and State Notices

(Some states have additional consumer notifications based on where you currently reside, and where you will be participating.) As Ambassadors, first select the State where you are currently designated or presently conducting your Ambassador-related duties and responsibilities. Next, simply select the State where you reside.

Application Page 5: Acknowledgment and Authorization for Background Screen

Application Page 6: Applicant Information

Application Page 7: Applicant Address (please provide current address only)

Application Page 8: Application Summary

Confirmation Summary

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This proposal document contains proprietary and confidential information of National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI). The content of this proposal is intended for the sole use by the organization to whom this presentation was shared directly by NCSI personnel. Any dissemination of the information contained herein to persons or entities other than the personnel with whom NCSI is working with directly is prohibited unless such disclosure is expressly permitted by NCSI in writing.

This screen gives you two choices; you have either lived OUTSIDE the United States for at least 6 months over the past 7 years, OR you have ONLY lived in the United States (or its territories) in the last 7 years.

On the next screen, you will simply scroll to the bottom of the page and select NEXT. You may need to enter your specific File# prior to selecting NEXT. This part of NCSI’s request is to verify whether an International Search may need to be collected/completed.