Nation’s Leaders of High School Athletics Programs Gather in Austin, Texas
from Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, NFHS Chief Executive Officer
The belief that “if you want something done, give it to busy people” could easily be applied to high school athletic directors, and close to 3,000 leaders of these programs across the country will add to their to-do lists by attending the 55th annual National Athletic Directors Conference later this week in Austin, Texas.
The conference sponsored by the NFHS and its partner, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), could set a new attendance record established two years ago in Nashville. The main goal for many of the athletic directors heading to the Texas state capital? Adding to their lists, of course, to provide even better programs for high school student-athletes.
Unlike national conferences for some groups, professional development is among the main reasons that athletic directors attend the National Athletic Directors Conference, which was started by the NFHS in 1971 with 355 attendees in St. Louis, Missouri.
The growth of the high school athletic administration profession as well as the NADC was fueled in 1977 when the NFHS formed the NIAAA, a national professional organization for high school athletic administrators. Membership in the NIAAA expanded rapidly and, in 2006, it became a separate organization. Since that time, the NFHS – the national leader and advocate for high school athletics and performing arts – and the NIAAA, with more than 16,000 members, have worked together annually to conduct the NADC.
Attendees at this year’s conference have signed up for more than 1,840 Leadership Training Institute courses sponsored by the NIAAA. The 59-course topics address legal issues, as well as marketing and promotion, technology, sports medicine, mental health, hiring and mentoring coaches, emergency management, managing athletic fields and equipment, building positive culture and many more.
In addition to leadership training opportunities, 48 workshops will be offered on key issues facing high school athletic directors, covering topics such as Navigating NIL Legislation, Developing and Implementing Effective Emergency Action Plans, Proactive Strategies for Partnering with Parents, Title IX Updates and Best Practices, Aligning Middle and High School Athletic Programs, Leveraging AI in Athletic Department Operations, Developing Effective Professional Development for Coaches, and Mental Health and Wellness.
High school athletic directors, along with tasks like scheduling contests, working with officials, establishing and balancing budgets, and upkeep of facilities, have other incredibly important responsibilities such as legal duties, crowd control at contests, safety and security issues, and all aspects related to coaches – hiring, mentoring and providing professional development opportunities.
We are pleased that so many leaders of local school athletics programs are committed to professionalism and maintaining the educational focus of school-based athletics programs – from middle school to high school.
Athletic directors and others in leadership roles in our nation’s schools play crucial roles in maintaining integrity in the face of increasing competitiveness, which has been fueled by the erosion of amateur sports at the college level from the proliferation of NIL to the transfer portal.
The sports landscape is changing, and high school athletic directors and coaches are key individuals who will play significant roles in maintaining a focus on education.
The success of organized sports in an education-based setting in our nation’s schools has been due in large part to these individuals. Local schools depend on athletic administrators to lead their programs, our member state high school associations depend on these individuals, and the NFHS and NIAAA look to athletic directors for leadership at the national level.
We look forward to working with leaders at this year’s conference as we collectively promote and protect the future of education-based sports in our nation’s schools.
Online link to article: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/nation-s-leaders-of-high-school-athletics-programs-gather-in-austin-texas/
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is beginning her seventh year as chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
About the NFHS
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,800 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.8 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; offers online education courses for coaches, administrators, students, officials, performing arts educators, parents and others; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.
Courtesy of Bruce Howard
Director of Publications and Communications
NFHS