The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body for interscholastic athletics and activities programs for public schools in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. The AHSAA is a member

National Federation of State High School Associations The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in Ind ...

since 1924. The AHSAA merged with the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association in 1968, forming one high school athletic association for the State of

in accordance with a court order relating to athletics. The AIAA had previously governed athletics at segregated

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

schools. The AHSAA sponsors state championships programs in 13 boys and 13 girls sports:

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, Football, Cross Country, Soccer,

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

Track and Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

and

Indoor Track Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping event ...

. While the AHSAA is the primary sanctioning organization for high school sports in Alabama (and the only one allowed for public schools), it is not the only such organization. The

Alabama Independent School Association The Alabama Independent School Association is an organization of private schools in Alabama, formed in 1966 as the Alabama Private School Association. Originally a group of eight segregation academies, the membership grew to 60 by the 1971–72 sch ...

sanctions athletics for approximately 40 private schools throughout the state. Other smaller organizations, such as the Alabama Christian Sports Conference and the Alabama Christian Athletic and Academic Association, sanction sports from smaller

Christian school A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some count ...

s and

home school Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

s, particularly in

eight-man football Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field wi ...

. The current executive director is Steve Savarese.

Championship locations

The AHSAA sponsors state championship events in various locations across the state of Alabama. Currently, championships are held in the following locations: * Football ("Super 7") alternates in a three stadium rotation between

Protective Stadium Protective Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium owned and operated by the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Its naming rights are provided by the Protective Life company, which will pay $1 million ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

Bryant–Denny Stadium Bryant–Denny Stadium is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States, on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is the home field of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Open ...

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

, and

Jordan–Hare Stadium Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced n central Alabama dialectas ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football team. The stadium ...

in Auburn * Basketball –

Legacy Arena Legacy Arena (formerly known as the BJCC Coliseum and the BJCC Arena) is an arena located at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama. The arena seats 17,654 for sporting events, 19,000 for concerts and 8,000 in a the ...

* Baseball –

Paterson Field {{Infobox venue , name = Paterson Field , former_names = Municipal Stadium , logo_image = , logo_caption = , image = , caption = The exterior of the stadium in February 2012 , fullname ...

Riverwalk Stadium Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium is the home of the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League. The minor league baseball ballpark opened in Montgomery, Alabama in 2004. Located in downtown Montgomery, the stadium can ...

, Montgomery * Cross Country – Oakville Indian Mounds, Lawrence County * Indoor Track and Field – Birmingham Crossplex, Birmingham * Softball – Lagoon Park, Montgomery * Soccer – John Hunt Park,

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

* Swimming –

James E. Martin Aquatics Center The James E. Martin Aquatics Center is a swimming complex on the Auburn University campus in Auburn, Alabama. It is the home pool of the Auburn University and Auburn High School swimming and diving programs. The Martin Aquatics Center has hos ...

, Auburn * Tennis – Decatur, Mobile, and Montgomery * Outdoor Track and Field –

Gulf Shores Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 9,741. Geography Gulf Shores is located on the Gulf of Mexico at 30°16'4.069" North, 87°42'5.285" West (30.267797, −87.70 ...

* Volleyball – Birmingham Crossplex, Birmingham * Wrestling –

Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center (known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several si ...

, Huntsville * Cheerleading –

Wallace State Community College Wallace State Community College (formally George C Wallace State Community College) is a Public college, public community college in Hanceville, Alabama. Founded in 1966 as the George C. Wallace State Trade School of Cullman County, the colleg ...

, Hanceville

History

The AHSAA was founded in 1921. Charter member schools were: * Abbeville * ''Albany'' * Aliceville * Andalusia * Auburn * Baldwin County * '' Barton Academy'' * Bessemer City * Bibb County * ''Buhl'' * ''Carrollton'' * ''Chambers County'' * Charles Henderson * Chilton County * ''Clio'' * Coffeeville * Colbert County * ''Conecuh County'' * Cullman * Dadeville * Demopolis *

Dothan Dothan is a place-name from the Hebrew Bible, identified with Tel Dothan. It may refer to: * Dothan, Alabama, a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties in the U.S. state of Alabama * Dani Dothan, lyricist and vocalist for the Israeli rock and ne ...

* Elmore County *

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

* Escambia County * ''Evergreen'' * Fayette County * Geneva County * Georgiana * Gordo * Greensboro * Greenville * Guntersville * Hackleburg *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

* Headland * Highland Home * Jackson * Lamar County * Lauderdale County * Lincoln * ''Lowndes County'' *

Marbury Marbury may refer to: Places *Marbury, Cheshire Marbury is a small village located at in the civil parish of Marbury cum Quoisley, within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is administer ...

* ''Marengo County'' * Marion County * Monroe County * Mortimer Jordan * Munford * Notasulga * Oneonta *

Opelika Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...

* Oxford * ''Palmetto School'' *

Pell City Pell City is a city in and one of the county seats of St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, other seat being Ashville. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,939. At the 2010 census, the city-limit population jumped to 12,695. It was hom ...

* ''Phillips (Birmingham)'' * Pickens County * ''Pike Road'' * Prattville * ''Ramer'' * Russellville *

Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...

* Shelby County *

Sidney Lanier Sidney Clopton Lanier (February 3, 1842 – September 7, 1881) was an American musician, poet and author. He served in the Confederate States Army as a private, worked on a blockade-running ship for which he was imprisoned (resulting in his catch ...

* ''Simpson'' * '' Spring Hill'' * Springville * St. Clair County * Sylacauga * Tarrant * Thomasville * ''Tuskegee'' * UMS-Wright * ''Uniontown'' * Valley * ''Wagarville'' *

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

* Winston County"Seventy-Eight High Schools Are Admitted to State Organization. Alabama High School Athletic Association Organized at Birmingham", ''Montgomery Advertiser'', April 16, 1922. (Italicized schools indicate schools which have closed or are no longer members of the AHSAA.)

References

External links

Alabama High School Athletic Association
{{Authority control Sports organizations established in 1921 High school sports associations in the United States 1921 establishments in Alabama

Championship locations

History

See also

References

External links