- The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) is an association of 90 schools (41 high schools, 34 middle schools and 15 K-12 schools) encompassing 105 athletic programs which has been designated by the Secretary of Education to regulate and oversee the conduct of interscholastic athletics in the state of Delaware.
- The membership consists of 67 public schools, including six vocational-technical schools and nine charter schools, and 23 private schools, including 16 faith-based schools.
- From 1947 to 1966, interscholastic athletics was governed by the Delaware Association of Secondary Administrators (DASA). In 1966, DSSAA was formed because the growth of interscholastic athletics necessitated a separate governing body.
- In July 2002, DSSAA was dissolved and DIAA took its place with the same goals, objectives and responsibilities.
DIAA Facts
- The DIAA office is located in the John W. Collette Education Resource Center in Dover. The staff consists of a full-time Executive Director, a full-time Coordinator of Officials and full-time secretary who are responsible for the daily affairs of DIAA. The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.
- The governance structure of DIAA includes the following standing committees: Rules and Regulations, Sportsmanship, Sports Medicine, Officials, Cross Country, Girls’ Volleyball, Field Hockey, Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer, Football, Wrestling, Swimming and Diving, Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball, Track and Field, Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, Tennis, Golf, Softball, and Baseball.
- The standing committees are responsible for making recommendations to the Board of Directors in their respective areas. In addition, the sport committees are responsible for organizing and conducting state championships in their respective sports.
- Proposed revisions of the DIAA Rules and Regulations must be submitted to the Executive Director. They are reviewed by the Rules and Regulations Committee and forwarded to the Board of Directors for an initial reading. The proposed changes which receive a favorable vote are then presented to the member schools for written comment and discussion at the Annual Membership Meeting. The Board of Directors reviews the proposed changes for a second time taking into consideration the comments of the member schools. The proposals which receive a second favorable vote are forwarded to the Secretary of Education who then submits them to the State Board of Education for final approval in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act.
- DIAA is, for the most part, a self-supporting organization. The Department of Education provides office space and a full-time secretary but the Executive Director’s and Officials Coordinator’s salaries and benefits and all other operating expenses are paid from DIAA financial accounts. The major sources of revenue are tournament entry fees and gate receipts, member school dues, and contest officials’ dues. The projected budget for the 2006-2007 school year is $714,000.
- DIAA has adopted NFHS playing rules in all sports except golf, tennis, and girls’ lacrosse. DIAA has adopted USGA rules in golf, USTA rules in tennis, and US Lacrosse rules in girls’ lacrosse. The playing code of each sport has been adopted without modifications except as approved by the Board of Directors.
- DIAA sponsors 17 preseason rules interpretation clinics which are mandatory for high school and middle school head coaches and contest officials in their respective sports.
- DIAA organizes and conducts 30 boys’ and girls’ state championships which involve approximately 490 teams, 6,500 athletes in 175 contests, and 90,000 spectators.
- DIAA provides member schools with NFHS rules books, case books, handbooks, simplified and illustrated rules books, signal charts, and scorer’s and timer’s instructions for each sport that they sponsor. In addition, member schools receive an NFHS Court and Field Diagram Book, a National High School Sports Record Book, and subscription to the NFHS Quarterly News.
- DIAA provides each member school with wall calendars, pocket calendars, eligibility posters, spectator code of conduct posters, DIAA Handbooks, and copies of the DIAA Book of Forms.
- DIAA provides catastrophic medical insurance coverage for every middle school and high school athlete in the state at no cost to the member schools. The policy includes a lifetime maximum benefit of $10,000,000 and covers athletes, cheerleaders, and band members while practicing, competing, and traveling to and from school sponsored athletic events.
- DIAA sponsors an annual workshop for “new” athletic directors and also the annual Delaware Association of Athletic Directors Conference.
- DIAA provides, upon request, “scholar-athlete” certificates for high school students who earn a varsity letter and maintain a 3.5 GPA during the competitive season. Certificates are also provided to middle school students who participate on an interscholastic team and maintain a grade of “B” or better in all subjects during the competitive season.
- DIAA sponsors the annual Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards. Member schools select one male candidate and one female candidate who then apply for the awards. A selection committee reviews the applications and chooses a male and a female winner who receive a plaque and a $2,000 scholarship to the post-secondary institution of their choice. The selection committee also chooses a male and a female runner-up who receive a plaque and a $1,500 scholarship to the post-secondary institution of their choice and a male and female runner-up who receive a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship to the post-secondary of their choice.
- DIAA sponsors the attendance of 40 student delegates and 8 adult delegates to the Annual DIAA Student Leadership Conference in Lewes in August of each year.
- DIAA sponsors the annual Sportsmanship Award which is a non-competitive award for which any member high school or middle school can qualify by submitting an application and satisfying ten performance criteria. The award recognizes and promotes the practice of good sportsmanship among the member schools. Past recipients include St. Andrew’s School (1998), William Penn High School (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006), Newark High School (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006), McKean High School (2003, 2004, and 2005), A.I. DuPont High School (2006), Hodgson Vo-Tech High School (2006), and Tower Hill School (2006). Recipients receive a banner in their school colors, a $500 grant, five state tournament passes, and guaranteed slots for two student delegates and one adult delegate to the DIAA Student Leadership Conference.
- DIAA strives to maintain a 50% budget in order to ensure continuous operations during years with a budget deficit.