Reference
The governing bodies.
Every sport has an authority. The national governing body sets the rules. The state high school association sets eligibility. The big youth associations run the leagues most kids play in. This is the directory.
When someone tells you "the rule book says..." or "USA Hockey requires..." this is where you go to verify.
High school athletics
Your state HS association is the authority on eligibility.
Transfers, GPA minimums, season dates, postseason qualifying, residency rules. All run by your state's high school athletic association under the NFHS umbrella.
- NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) ↗
Umbrella for all 50 state HS athletic associations. Publishes the rule books most HS sports use.
- NFHS state association directory ↗
Find your state's high school athletic association. The authority on eligibility, transfers, and your kid's actual season schedule.
By sport
National governing bodies and major youth organizations.
Baseball
Softball
Soccer
Basketball
Hockey
Swimming
Track & Field / XC
Tennis
Gymnastics
Martial Arts
Wrestling
Crew
College recruiting
The eligibility centers that decide whether your kid can play.
For NCAA D1 and D2, register with the Eligibility Center. For NAIA, register with PlayNAIA. For NJCAA, individual schools. D3 has no central eligibility center.
See also: The Recruiting Process · NCAA Eligibility Center
Safety, research, and adaptive
Other organizations parents should know exist.
- U.S. Center for SafeSport ↗
Required training for many youth sport coaches. Reports of abuse and misconduct in Olympic and Paralympic movement sports.
- CDC HEADS UP ↗
Concussion training and resources for coaches, parents, and athletes.
- Korey Stringer Institute ↗
Heat illness prevention and youth sport safety research.
- Project Play (Aspen Institute) ↗
National research and policy on youth sports participation, costs, and health.
- Special Olympics ↗
Programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities, plus Unified Sports.
- Move United ↗
National adaptive sports network. Programs for athletes with physical disabilities.
- Adaptive Sports USA ↗
National governing body for adaptive sports across multiple disciplines.
Missing one?
Email [email protected] with the sport and organization. We'll add it.