How do I form an AAU team?

The four most important considerations in forming an AAU team are developing a philosophy for your team, finding committed players, finding a coach and finding a practice facility. The first step must be developing a philosophy. What is the motivation behind forming this team? Will it be a participation team where everyone gets equal playing time or a performance team where playing time must be earned? The answers to these questions must be decided before attempting to find a coach and players. If the coach and the players don’t buy into the philosophy of the team it will eventually lead to problems and hard feelings.

Make sure you team is age appropriate.  Most tournament are based on the Age of the players.
There some grade based tournaments (Pacific AAU Jam Festival Tournaments).  Make sure you check with the host prior to registration.  

The Pacific AAU does not endorse players playing out of their age group.

Girls age requirements - January 1, of the current year.  
If today is March 10.  
If a player turns 12 before January 1, she is eligible to play in the 12U division, even if she turns 13 after January 1.
There are no age or grade exceptions for AAU Girls Basketball.

Boys Age requirements
Competition in boys' basketball shall be in the following age divisions: 8:Under/2nd Grade,9:Under/3rd grade, 10:U/4th grade, 11:U/5th grade, 12:U/6th grade, 13:U/7th grade, 14:U/8thgrade, 15:U/9th grade, 16:U/10th grade, Junior Boys, and Senior Boys.

Boys Age Determining Date/Grade Exception Rule
September 1, 2005 shall be the determining date for the age of the competitor for all districts and national championship events. Eligibility to participate is based first on the age determining date. The grade of the athlete is not a consideration if the athlete meets the age determining date. An athlete who does not meet the age determining date may qualify under the grade exception rule. In the 8U/2nd Grade through the 14U/8th Grade division, each team is allowed a maximum of three grade exception athletes. There is no limit on the number of grade exception athletes in the 15U/9th Grade divisions through the Senior Boys’ division.
 -Boys Age Group Requirements
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When starting a team, some of the following will need to be determined:

• Age group - single or multiple
• For profit or not for profit organization
• Single season or long term program
• An organizational document or bylaws
• Officers or principles of the organization
• Standards for selection of coaches
• Standards for selection of athletes
• Equipment needs
• Facility needs
• Team's AAU event schedule - from local to national
• Insurance coverage desired
• Team/organization name
• AAU events the team will host
• AAU Club Level program the team will join
• AAU Membership category for team members - Regular or AB
• Financial needs- total budget
• The entry materials you need to submit to the AAU Event Operator

I’ve formed my team, what’s next?
Once you have developed a philosophy, found enough committed players, a coach willing to abide by your philosophy and a practice facility, there are some administrative details that need to be worked out. First, the coach should request a copy of the AAU boys’ or girls’ basketball handbook. The coach should read through the handbook and write down any questions they have.

Some concerns maybe: playing rules for open tournaments, invitational tournaments, state qualifiers and association championships; player eligibility; tournament dates and locations; tournament application procedures; AAU player, coach and team memberships; AAU insurance programs; forfeit policies; age and age/grade eligibility etc.

What are the costs associated with AAU basketball?
The basic cost for AAU membership is: 
AAU player memberships ($12 or $14 per player)
AAU coaches memberships ($14 or $16 per coach)
AAU club membership ($30 - $400)
AAU third party practice insurance ($25 - $100)
AAU AAU Sanctions ($48 per day)
Complete information can be found at www.aausports.org. Every thing can be done online! 

It is up to the individual clubs to come up with other cost.  Some clubs charge additional membership fees. the fees cover practice time, coaching, uniforms, traveling expenses.  Some clubs have code books and by-laws.  It is up to you on how you want to run your club. 

This is also a good time for developing ideas on how you might raise money.

EXAMPLES

• Get a sponsor.
  
• Have different fundraisers throughout the year (the AAU has a great fund-raiser through ESPN the Magazine)
  
• Host a tournament to raise money for your team.
  

Some clubs charge a membership fee to support their clubs.  That is up to the individual clubs.  Players can not be paid to play for clubs!

Once you have this information, you should have a team meeting with the coach, all the players and their parents. The team should decide on how many tournaments they will be playing. This meeting will help to ensure that everyone will be on the same page for the season. If possible, the team should pick which tournaments the team wants to register for, fill out their registrations and send them to the tournament director, as registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

The Pacific AAU does not monitor the expenses of individual clubs.

How do I register for AAU?
Online registration! ( Please use this method!)
All registration can be done online at www.aaupsports.org. Look for the Join Now section  This is the quickest and best way to register your team and players.  
Step 1 - Register your club ( Level 1, 2, or 3) (You can not use AAU in your club name!)
The contact person is the person that will receive all AAU correspondence. Their can only be one contact person per club. The contact person must have an AAU you card. 
Step 2 - Register all players (Athletes)  and coaches (Non Athletes).  All bench personnel must have an AAU card. Make sure you print your cards right away. You can always go back and add players and coaches.   

Registering  by mail
To register by mail, go to www.aausports.org. Look on the left hand side and click on the Application Link.  Download the appropriate form.  Fill the forms out completely. Send the forms and checks to:
Pacific AAU
PO Box 52049
Sparks, NV 89435
Checks should be made out to Pacific AAU.
If you register by mail, you will will need to wait at least 2 weeks for your information to be processed. 
No applications will be taken by the telephone or fax. 

How Do I find AAU tournaments in my area?
On the Pacific District web site, look under sanctioned tournament.  The tournaments on that page are AAU sanctioned Pacific District Tournaments.  The Pacific District also sponsors the Pacific District Tournament Series.  The host of the series tournament agree to follow certain rules and guidelines to ensure a quality tournament. 

What is the Regional Qualifier or Regional Championships?
These are tournaments that give teams the opportunity to qualify for the AAU National Tournaments. The number of qualifying teams depends on the amount of teams that participate.  The tournament are open to all teams, not just teams looking to advance to AAU Nationals.    Teams can choose their level of competition. Register ealry and complete the appropriate paper work. Contact the sports directors for more information.

What is the Super Regional Tournament?
The Super Regional Tournament  is for teams looking to for an additional opportunity to  advance an  AAU Nationals Tournament. Team must participate in a the districts regional qualifier or regional championship in order to compete in the super regional tournament.  Team out side of the region can compete in a Super Regional Tournament. More 

The more organized your team is and the more information the parents and players have, the better the AAU experience will be for everyone involved. 

The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be complete, nor is it represented as such. The Pacific District does not endorse nor recommend any specific club(s), coach(es), nor group(s) of athletes. The Pacific District  merely provides this information as a service;it neither verifies nor guarantees the accuracy thereof.

 This was put together by our Boys Sports Director Charles Baldwin & Girls Basketball Sports Director, Matt Williams.