MHSAA Non Profit Corporation For Voluntary Athletics Membership

MHSAA stands for Michigan High School Athletic Association that is involved in Promoting Educational Athletics. It is a non-profit, private corporation of voluntary membership manipulated by more than 1500 private and public senior high schools as well as junior high/middle schools that exists for the development of common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. The association is not supported by any federal government funds or tax dollars from state of Michigan.

MHSAA was the first such national organization that does not accept any membership dues or entry fees of the tournament from schools. The schools that have the membership and enforce these rules are allowed to participate in the associations tournaments, attracting 1.6 million spectators yearly.

Member schools voluntarily join the MHSAA every year through their boards of education accepting the common rules and formal resolution to abide by for educational athletics. As the option of membership is optional, there is a choice for the schools of either conducting a complete program of interscholastic athletics and/or participating against the associations member schools in regular-season competition even without joining the association.

The tournaments for boys and girls that are organized and conducted by the MHSAA, has its growth from the original program of football, basketball, track and baseball for boys. With a total of 28 sport activities, opportunities for athletic participation for Michigan secondary schools have been increasing eventually. And if these activities are categorized as male, female, classes and divided by enrollment as well as Upper and Lower Peninsula, there would be a total of 120 separate tournaments. However, about 300,000 young men and women takes active part in these activities each year.

The offices of MHSAA were moved from downtown Lansing in 1976 to a building on Trowbridge Road in East Lansing. Although the Association's home used the facility for more than 20 years, but a new home was sought again due to its spatial needs. In June of 1996, ground broke on the current 18,000-square-foot building off U.S. 127 and Lake Lansing Road.

It is the hard passion of the MHSAA that strives to give recognitions to the students, coaches and administrators for achievement, dedication as well as contributions in matters related to interscholastic athletics through different awards programs. Some of the programs are namely; Scholar-Athlete Award, Good Sports Are Winners! Award, Scope Award, Legends of the Games, CHAMPS Clinic Information, Women In Sports Leadership Award and Allen W. Bush Award and much more.

By offering several programs such as Student Advisory Council, Captain's Clinics, Student Leadership Grants, Women in Sports Leadership and Sportsmanship for enhancing the interscholastic athletic experience, the organization, MHSAA, values the education and development of student leaders. Mhsaa