These are a few of the questions we answer in our 2024-25 State of the Industry survey of high school athletic administrators — the 14th year in which we’ve conducted this nationwide survey. This year’s report offers a unique glimpse into the challenges athletics directors face daily and offers a look at some of the new issues popping up in schools, including a rise in finding proper staffing for events as well as qualified coaches. 

This survey provides some perspective on the challenges and opportunities that exist in high school athletics. It also provides direction for Coach and Athletic Director, as we base our content throughout the year on the report’s findings. 

This year’s survey examines spending, fundraising, program management, and other critical components of high school athletics. 

Here are the results from the 14th annual Coach & Athletic Director State of the Industry survey.

What’s On Your Mind: A Five-Year Snapshot

Here’s our annual ranking of the most concerning issues for high school athletic directors compared with how they ranked in previous years. Percentages represent athletic directors who said they were at least moderately concerned about that particular issue. 

Top 5 Sports Added in the Last 3 Years

1. Girls Bowling (28.2%)
2. Badminton (26.3%)
3. Rugby (23.1%
4. Boys Bowling (17.9%)
5. Archery (17.3%)

In Their Own Words…On Identifying and Retaining Quality Coaches

“We partner with local sports organizations to get referrals of experienced coaches. During the identification process, we emphasize the importance of character and integrity in addition to coaching expertise. For retention, we offer flexible work arrangements and a chance to be involved in school-wide sports development initiatives.”

“Create a positive and cooperative working environment, so that coaches can feel the support and warmth of the team.”

“We have an alumni referral program. Our former athletes often know other qualified coaches in the field. When identifying coaches, we also assess their ability to adapt to different learning styles of students. To keep them on board, we provide regular performance-based bonuses and recognition for their achievements.”

“Good working environment, establish a clear promotion mechanism, provide training and learning opportunities, [and] complete sports facilities.”

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“We want our program to be a landing spot, not a stepping stone. We work hard to handle the logistics so that coaches can spend time focusing on the students.”

“Internally: establishing trusting relationships. Externally: networking, using online networks to market coach openings, marketing.”

“Not easy. Now hiring coaches who may not have the necessary experience but want to be involved in high school athletics. They want to learn. However, finding these individuals is few and far between.”

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In addition, the first three rounds of the postseason will be hosted by the higher-seeded team instead of the first two rounds.

From 1999 through 2019, eight schools per region qualified for the playoffs, which was a five-week tournament. In early 2020, the OHSAA approved a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to expand to 12 qualifiers per region, which added a week to the postseason. Shortly after that, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected high school sports, and the OHSAA allowed every school to participate in the 2020 playoffs since schools played a varying number of games. The positive feedback from schools that season prompted the OHSAA to expand from 12 to 16 qualifiers per region from 2021-24.

“For the last few years, we have been pleased that more schools experienced the football playoffs, and there were some lower seeds that won playoff games,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “But over the last year, we have received feedback from our schools, with a slight majority favoring 12 qualifiers per region, and we had many conversations with stakeholders around the state that led us to make this proposal to our board. We appreciate the feedback we received and will continue to gather comments moving forward. Like we do with all of our sports, we want to make sure the student-athletes are our No. 1 priority.”

With the top four seeds in each region receiving a first-round bye, the first-round parings include the No. 12 seed playing at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 and No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9, the No. 2 seed will host the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10, the No. 3 seed will host the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12.

» ALSO SEE: Seattle principal placed on administrative leave over football recruiting violations

There are no changes to the 2025 divisional breakdowns and regional assignments announced by the OHSAA on May 1. The 2025 divisions and regions are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Football/Football-2025

2025 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns

• I 592 and more students — 72 teams
• II 378 to 591 — 104
• III 268 to 377 — 107
• IV 202 to 267 — 105
• V 157 to 201 — 106
• VI 112 to 156 — 106
• VII 111 and less — 106
  • Total Teams — 706

*This is an issued press release from the Ohio High School Athletic Association. 

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A Seattle-based principal has been placed on administrative leave stemming from football recruiting violations, according to reports.

Tami Brewer, principal of Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA, was placed on administrative leave last week by Seattle Public Schools following findings by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) that the school’s football program violated recruiting rules.

The WIAA found Roosevelt to have illegally recruited players to the team, which saw a winless team in 2022 reach the 2023 state semifinals.

A recent story from KING5.com detailed the penalties facing Brewer. Below is an excerpt from the KING5.com story.

The sanctions document obtained by KING 5 on Wednesday does not specify how students were recruited to Roosevelt, but makes clear that recruiting for high school sports is prohibited under WIAA rules.

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Kevin Murphy’s reinstatement comes nearly a month after the school reassigned him from the position he held for the previous 20 years.

A recent story from SwimSwam.com detailed the decision by Southlake Carroll and the school’s press release. Below is an excerpt from the SwimSwam.com article.

Justin Pudwill, the district’s aquatics supervisor and head water polo coach, will assume the role of the head coach of the girls’ team.

While in some states, especially midwestern states that have different boys’ and girls’ high school swim seasons, it’s not uncommon for the teams to have different head coaches. In Texas, where the teams have identical seasons, it is almost unheard of.

From the Press Release:

“We’re excited about the future of our swim program,” said Athletic Director Riley Dodge. “Having both Coach Murphy and Coach Pudwill in leadership positions allows us to provide the best possible support for our student-athletes. Their combined expertise and passion for the sport will elevate our program even further.”

Carroll ISD looks forward to continued success in the pool with both coaches working collaboratively to guide our student-athletes to new heights.

No explanation for Murphy’s reassignment, or the decision to bring him back as only the boys’ coach, has been given by the district, though local observers say that the complaints that prompted the move were brought forward by members of the girls’ team whose parents are influential boosters for Southlake Carroll’s football team.

The school’s athletics director is Riley Dodge, who is also a former star quarterback for the school and head football coach.

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One local parent says that they were told by the AD that there were no applicants for the position.

Murphy took over the programs in 2005 and was named to the Carroll ISD Athletic Hall of Honor in 2017. The Carroll boys have won 10 state titles in that era, including nine straight from 2011 to 2019, and the Carroll girls won five state titles from 2012 through 2022.

To read the full story from SwimSwam.com, click here. 

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Wildfires, a pandemic, and a hazing incident, for example, may be specific or more prominent in different areas of the country. But just like having emergency plans in place for your various venues and taking into account the specific needs of different sports, it is wise to also be prepared for these additional situations that may be identified as a crisis. Having plans in place is the prudent step.

A good starting point is to seriously consider what could happen in your area and within your community. In terms of weather, will you possibly experience wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, or other events? Even though virtually no one could have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, will you be affected by other health issues, and what might they be? This step will involve being aware and making an honest analysis of what has happened in other settings and determining if it could occur in your situation.

In your effort to be proactive and prepared, it is vitally important to establish who will be the spokesperson in the event of a crisis. To be effective with communication, there should only be one individual serving in this capacity, and it may not be the athletic administrator. Often, the sole spokesman is determined by the scale, impact, and exact nature of the crisis, and this person could normally be the superintendent of schools or his or her designated person.

Before you are faced with a crisis of any nature, you should have conversations with your upper-level administrators and determine who exactly will fill the role of the spokesperson. It would be wise to have a prepared list of potential situations that might occur for these planning sessions to leave nothing to chance. The goal of these conversations is to eliminate any questions or misunderstandings, and it would be wise to put all the pertinent details in writing.

Once you have established protocols of who and under what circumstances the spokesperson will be, it is also important to communicate the details and the approach that will be taken in the face of a crisis with your coaches and staff. This is done to prevent any false or misleading information or statements that anyone might make, and it very clearly points out that they should say nothing.

The following represent a few other considerations for your spokesperson when dealing with the situation or event.

1. Once the official statement or message has been communicated — either through a written notice or a press conference — it is also advisable to indicate if or when there will be an update. Indicate that if or when new information or details become available, they will be shared when possible.
2. There are some details, however, that cannot be shared, and the spokesperson needs to understand the legal limitations. For example, details concerning students have to remain confidential in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This consideration would include a student’s name, address, contact information, and academic and disciplinary records; all of this would need student or parental consent to mention or share.
3. For any situations that involve student deportment problems, the message has to be clearly crafted, indicating that the school considers the situation serious and important. Also, the statement should include that accountability and corrective action will be taken.
4. While the spokesperson should be factual, every effort should also be made to be comforting, encouraging, and supportive. Providing hope, particularly related to weather or health-related events, is vital in addition to reporting on the details for the effort of rebuilding, regrouping, and moving forward.
5. If any of your venues were damaged due to a weather-related event, it would be helpful to share what temporary, alternative, and possibly creative steps will be taken to host the rest of the season. In addition, an indication of when games will resume will also be beneficial for everyone to try to get back to some small degree of normalcy. Your athletic program can be a rallying point for the community.
6. It is important to remember that regardless of the type of crisis that may have affected your school and program, there will be a recovery period. During this time, it would be wise and appreciated if you or your spokesperson provided periodic updates informing the community of the progress that has been and will continue to be made. Athletes, coaches, parents, and community members may need support and encouragement for an undetermined amount of time. Be there for them!
7. Lastly, as with most activities, events, and situations involved with your athletic program, spend time analyzing and evaluating the school’s steps and actions taken. This evaluation effort is critical so that you can make improvements to your protocols so that you are better prepared for the future and dealing with another crisis, even if it is of another nature or variety.

» ALSO SEE: Conversation with Morehouse College head coach Terance Mathis

Hopefully, you will never have to deal with a weather or health-related event, and you are lucky enough to avoid any student deportment issues. But it would be prudent to think ahead, be proactive, and create protocols to guide your response should one ever occur.

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