OHSAA approves membership dues

The Ohio High School Athletic Association unanimously approves implementing membership dues for its schools of $50per OHSAA-sanctioned sport. John Kampf has the story.

Members of the Ohio High School Athletic Association will have to play $50 per OHSAA-sanctioned sport beginning with the 2021-22 school year.

The governing body of prep sports in Ohio on May 4 approved by 9-0 vote mandating each high school will contribute $50 per sport in which the school participates in a new “Membership Dues” measure being implemented by the OHSAA.

Total dues for the 2021-22 school year will range from $300 per school to $1,300, depending on the number of OHSAA-sanctioned sports in which a school is participating. The dues will be reviewed annually by an OHSAA Finance Committee, and any modifications will be recommended to the Board by the executive director.

In the future, dues will not exceed $100 per sport.

“We traditionally have relied on tournament ticket sales for about 80% of our revenue,” Doug Ute, executive director of the OHSAA, said. “That financial model has not been sustainable, and the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly not helped. Levying membership dues will give us a steady line of income since many of our other lines are variable, and it will help us build a new, more sustainable revenue model.

“That model, which will help ensure our long-term sustainability, will be a combination of a wider variety of income streams — including these dues — and continued better management of our expenses.”

Levying dues means:

• Member schools will no longer pay any tournament entry fees, bowling lineage fees, golf green fees or wrestling weight management fees. The membership due is all-inclusive.

• Student scholarships will be reinstated during the 2021-22 school year.

• Student catastrophic insurance coverage for all student-athletes, cheerleaders, student managers and student athletic trainers during in-season and OHSAA tournament practices and contests will continue to be provided at no cost to member schools.

• OHSAA will continue to supply all team trophies and/or individual medals for champions, runners-up and other selected place-winners at the district, regional and state level.

• The OHSAA will continue to supply rule books, sport manuals, online rules meeting presentations plus other publications and tournament administrator passes at no cost to member schools.

• The OHSAA will continue to pay high school fees for ArbiterGame accounts.

• No membership dues will be levied against member seventh-eighth grade schools.

The idea of membership dues was previously presented to the OHSAA board earlier this year at district meetings.

Ute also hosted virtual meetings April 5 and 13 with member school administrators to discuss dues and OHSAA finances in general.

Ute said he has “received favorable feedback from the majority of the administrators with whom I have conversed at our member schools.”

He went on to say the levying of membership dues does not change the OHSAA’s mission, “which is to serve our member schools and enrich interscholastic opportunities for students.”