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OHSAA 101

What is the Ohio High School Athletic Association? Here’s a look at who makes up the OHSAA and how the OHSAA supports education-based athletics and its member schools and carries out its mission.
 

MEMBERS, STAFF AND PARTNERS

  • Schools are volunteer members - 817 High Schools, 873 Middle Schools
  • 26 Sanctioned Sports (13 Girls, 13 Boys)
  • Approximately 400,000 Student-Athletes in Grades 7-12
  • Approximately 15,000 Officials
  • Approximately 70,000 Coaches
  • Six District Athletic Boards elected by the member schools in that district
  • State Board of Directors (rotation system from the District Athletic Boards)
  • Executive Director and Office Staff (24 full-time employees)
  • Partnered Coaches Associations for Each Sanctioned Sport
  • 10 Allied Educational Organizations

FINANCES

  • No tax dollars received
  • No membership fees from schools
  • OHSAA State Office Revenue Sources:
    80% - Ticket Sales from Regional and State Tournaments
    10% - Officials Dues
    10% - Corporate Sponsorships
  • Limited tournament entry fees for schools (selected sports only)
  • Bonus returned to schools for ticket sales in some sports
  • Reimbursement to schools of selected regional and state tournament expenses (OHSAA returned over $2.6 million to member schools last school year)
  • OHSAA pays for catastrophic insurance coverage ($700,000 annual premium)

TOURNAMENTS, ELIGIBILITY AND SERVICES

  • Strive to conduct the best state tournaments in the country
  • Enrollment data for tournament divisions comes from Ohio Dept. of Education
  • Member schools voted in favor of Competitive Balance Proposal in 2014 (affects soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, softball and baseball)  
  • Monitor eligibility of student-athletes
    1. Constitution and bylaws voted on by school principals each May
    2. Schools are the primary enforcer of bylaws and sports regulations. The OHSAA does not have full-time staff devoted solely to compliance or investigations
  • Provide services to our member schools, such as:
    1. Coaches Education
    2. Annual Leadership Conference (largest in the nation, 1,500 students)
    3. Sportsmanship and “Respect the Game” Programs
    4. Sports Medicine and Safety Programs
    5. Booster Education
    6. Safe-School Zone
    7. Service Week
    8. More than $164,000 in College Scholarships
  • Focus on the life-lessons student athletes learn through their involvement with athletics
 
The OHSAA
Educate Through Sports