NIAAA's Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) strives to preserve, enhance, and promote education-based athletics through the professional development of athletic administrators. NIAAA’s Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration, Second Edition, is the organization’s primary text to further that mission.

Designed for current and aspiring administrators, the text addresses the role and responsibilities of an administrator as well as the skills essential for managing an athletic program that provides quality sport opportunities for student-athletes. The second edition features many new contributors, all experienced professionals who share their wisdom and proven methods and bring fresh and diverse perspectives to the issues affecting today’s administrators.

The book’s introduction sets the stage by presenting results of a survey of athletic administrators regarding key issues and concerns, accompanied by insights from current and past NIAAA executive directors. The opening chapters highlight the thoughtful planning and preparational investment required to create and sustain an athletic program that remains true to its core values, nurtures and challenges student-athletes, and is bolstered by coaches and support personnel who champion athletes’ growth and success. The benefits of participating in school-based athletics and engaging in multiple sports are emphasized.

Subsequent chapters highlight the importance of fostering positive connections between administrators, coaches, and the communities who serve and support the program. Parents, medical professionals, security staff, boosters, and local businesses must be continuously engaged, informed, and appreciated for their support.

The next chapters address the daily responsibilities of the job, including budgeting and purchasing, managing facilities and equipment, scheduling contests and transportation, and hosting events. The final chapter, a notable new addition to the text, emphasizes the need to maintain a work-life balance despite athletic administrators’ heavy workload and long hours. It will help you prioritize duties, delegate tasks, streamline processes, and manage duties and meetings more efficiently to maximize your productivity and still preserve quality time for family, friends, and other interests.

Throughout this resource you will find realistic samples such as a strategic plan; annual budgets and multiyear purchasing plans; competition schedules; and athletic program policies concerning diversity, social media usage, and transportation. In addition, case studies accompany the explanation of athletic administrators’ legal duties and student safety, and all-new end-of-chapter professional development activities challenge you to apply learning outcomes in your position and program.

NIAAA’s Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration is packed with information, advice, examples, and tools from experienced athletic administrators. With this resource, you’ll be well equipped to excel in the complex, demanding, and rewarding role of athletic administrator.

About the NIAAA
The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) is the accredited professional organization for interscholastic athletic administrators. Key among the goals of the organization is to provide professional development opportunities for directors of athletics and to enhance the profession of athletic administration.

Since 1977, the NIAAA has served those who lead education-based athletic programs in the nation’s schools. With a current individual membership of over 16,000, the NIAAA consists of member state athletic administrator associations in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as internationally.

With a 60-course leadership training curriculum, six levels of certification, NIAAA U-cohort studies, and leadership opportunities, the NIAAA is the professional leader in developing, assisting, and promoting athletic administrators. In addition to providing networking and exchange of ideas, the association focuses on best practices, research, practical resources, and methods of recognition.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIAAA champions the profession of athletic administration through education opportunities, advocating ethics, developing leaders, and fostering community. For more information, visit the NIAAA website.

About the Editors
Michael L. Blackburn, PhD, CMAA, served the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) as executive director from 2016 to 2023, after becoming associate executive director in 2005. He holds a PhD in educational administration and an EdS from Indiana State University (ISU). Blackburn holds the Certified Master Athletic Administrator credential.

During Blackburn’s 18 years with the NIAAA, membership increased from 5,400 to 14,000; the NIAAA national headquarters were established in Indianapolis; and new attendance records were set for the National Athletic Directors Conference each year, reaching over 2,700 in 2022.

Blackburn also led the organization’s professional development efforts as the NIAAA earned accreditation from Cognia, NIAAA U was established, a learning management system was implemented to deliver online Leadership Training Institute (LTI) courses, and the LTI curriculum grew to 57 courses. He now serves on the Professional Development Academy Leadership Team.

Blackburn has been involved in publishing the Interscholastic Athletic Administration (IAA) journal and has prepared numerous editorials, articles, manuals, and print and digital materials in his 30 years of involvement as publisher, editor, developmental editor, and member of the Publications Committee. He has also been coeditor for both editions of NIAAA’s Guide for Interscholastic Athletic Administration.

Blackburn’s 51 years in administration and education include roles in the NIAAA and as a high school assistant principal for athletics, classroom teacher, and coach. As an athletic administrator, he led an initiative creating promotional and recognition programs for 70 teams—with 100 coaches and athletics personnel—to encourage academic achievement, multisport participation, and positive character.

Eric W. Forsyth, PhD, CMAA, is a professor at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. He received his doctorate in sport administration, with a minor in marketing management, from the University of New Mexico.

Forsyth is a founding author of the interscholastic athletic administration graduate curriculum standards endorsed by National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). He has received the Certified Master Athletic Administrator distinction through the NIAAA and served a term as president of the Minnesota AAHPERD Association (now called Minnesota Society of Health and Physical Educators, or MNSHAPE).

His career has been devoted to improving interscholastic sport through his teaching, research, presentations, and publications. He has presented his research findings on issues pertaining to interscholastic sport at conferences on the international, national, and state levels. He has also published his research in Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual, Athletic Business, Interscholastic Athletic Administration, Journal of Amateur Sport, Journal of Contemporary Athletics, Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, Managing Sport and Leisure, and The Physical Educator. Forsyth has been a coeditor of both editions of NIAAA’s Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration.

Scott J. Smith, PhD, CMAA, is a professor of sport management at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee. Smith was previously the director of the masters of science program in athletic administration at Ohio University for five years.

Smith’s initial position in higher education was at Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, where he served as a professor of sport management and department chair of physical education and sport. Smith retired from CMU as a professor emeritus after 12 years of service to the university. He has also taught as an adjunct instructor for Wichita State University, the University of Dayton, Colorado State University, and American Public University.

Before moving to the college level, Smith held a number of athletic administrator positions during his 33 years at the K-12 level. He served as an assistant principal and athletic director in Fulton, Missouri; district athletic director for the Wichita, Kansas, public school system; assistant superintendent for health, physical education, and athletics for Dayton, Ohio, public schools; and district athletic director for the Greenville school district in Greenville, Ohio.

Smith currently serves as a member of the Professional Development Academy Leadership Team for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). He is the coordinator of the Leadership Training Institute’s new course development and serves as the university liaison for the NIAAA’s university and college partners. Smith has made several presentations at the National Athletic Directors Conference and has authored numerous articles for the Interscholastic Athletic Administration (IAA) journal.