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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The sports of women’s soccer, men’s soccer, softball, and baseball will see changes to their conference schedules and the process of qualifying for the CAA championship.

Women’s Soccer

The conference will be separated into two divisions – North (Drexel, Hofstra, Monmouth, Northeastern, Stony Brook, and Towson) and South (Campbell, Charleston, Elon, Hampton, UNCW, and William & Mary). During the regular season, teams will play nine conference matches, which include one match against each team in their division and four matches against teams from the other division. All matches will count in the standings.

The top three teams in each division will qualify for the CAA Championship, which will be played over two weekends. On the first weekend, the #2 seed in each division will host the #3 seed. Two days later, the winners of those matches will visit the #1 seed in each division. The highest remaining seed will host the championship match on the second weekend. If both teams have the same divisional seed, the team with the most points in the regular season will host.

Men’s Soccer

The conference will be separated into two divisions – North (Drexel, Hofstra, Monmouth, Northeastern, and Stony Brook) and South (Campbell, Charleston, Elon, UNCW, and William & Mary). During the regular season, teams will play eight conference matches, which include two matches against each team in their division (home and away). All matches will count in the standings.

The top three teams in each division will qualify for the CAA Championship, which will be played over two weekends. On the first weekend, the #2 seed in each division will host the #3 seed. Two days later, the winners of those matches will visit the #1 seed in each division. The highest remaining seed will host the championship match on the second weekend. If both teams have the same divisional seed, the team with the most points in the regular season will host.

Softball

The conference will be separated into two divisions – North (Drexel, Hofstra, Monmouth, Stony Brook, and Towson) and South (Campbell, Charleston, Elon, Hampton, North Carolina A&T, and UNCW). During the regular season, teams will play eight conference series (24 games). In the North, teams will play two divisional opponents once and the other two divisional opponents twice (home and away). There will also be two series (one home, one away) against teams from the South Division. In the South, two teams will play three divisional opponents once and the other two divisional opponents twice (home and away), as well as one series against a team from the North Division. Three teams will play four divisional opponents once and the other divisional opponent twice (home and away), as well as two series (one home, one away) against teams from the North Division.

The top two teams from each division, based on conference winning percentage in all games, will qualify for the six-team CAA Championship. The other two tournament participants will be the teams that have the highest conference winning percentage in all conference games played, but did not finish first or second in their division.

Baseball

The conference will be separated into two divisions – North (Hofstra, Monmouth, Northeastern, Stony Brook, and Towson) and South (Campbell, Charleston, Elon, North Carolina A&T, UNCW, and William & Mary). During the regular season, teams will play 10 conference series (30 games). In the North, teams will play all four divisional opponents twice (home and away) as well as two series (one home, one away) against teams from the South Division. In the South, four teams will play two divisional opponents once and the other three divisional opponents twice (home and away), as well as two series (one home, one away) against teams from the North Division. Two teams will play one divisional opponent once and the other four divisional opponents twice (home and away), as well as one series against a team from the North Division.

» ALSO SEE: OHSAA announce revamped football playoff structure

The top two teams from each division, based on conference winning percentage in all games, will qualify for the six-team CAA Championship. The other two tournament participants will be the teams with the highest NCAA RPI rating at the end of the regular season, but did not finish first or second in their division.

*This is an issued press release from the Coastal Athletic Association.

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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.

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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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U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in the Oakland, California, federal court, resolved the long-running litigation between the NCAA and student-athletes on fair compensation.

A recent article from MSN.com detailed the judge’s decision and what it means for NCAA student-athletes. Below is an excerpt from the MSN.com story.

“Despite some compromises, the settlement agreement nevertheless will result in extraordinary relief for members of the settlement classes,” Wilken wrote. She added the deal will “permit levels and types of student-athlete compensation that have never been permitted in the history of college sports.”

The ruling marked a “historic day for college sports and the rights of athletes,” the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs, Steve Berman and Jeffrey Kessler, said in a statement.

The NCAA, which has denied any wrongdoing, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deal faced dozens of objections that it didn’t adequately compensate athletes or was unfair in other ways. Objectors to the deal now can appeal to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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The settlement, covering hundreds of thousands of current and former students since 2016, resolved three lawsuits that claimed NCAA rules barring payments to athletes violated U.S. antitrust law. The $2.8 billion will cover past damages.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers previously estimated that the deal would provide tens of billions of dollars to class members over the next 10 years. Schools will be allowed to pay athletes from funds that universities receive from broadcasts and other commercial sources.

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

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