| Arkansas Activities Association | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AAA |
| Legal status | Association |
| Purpose/focus | Athletic/Educational |
| Headquarters | 3920 Richards Rd. North Little Rock, AR 72117 |
| Region served | Arkansas |
| Membership | 300+ schools |
| Official languages | English |
| Executive Director | Lance Taylor |
| Affiliations | National Federation of State High School Associations |
| Staff | 14 |
| Website | ahsaa.org |
| Remarks | (501) 955-2500 |
The Arkansas Activities Association (locally known as the AAA) is the primary sanctioning body for high school sports in state of Arkansas. AAA is a member association of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA). Every public secondary school in Arkansas is a de jure member of the AAA, and most private schools, save for a few schools in the delta that belong to the Mississippi Private Schools Association, are included in membership.
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The following administration is current as of 2007.
The AAA currently governs a total of 12 sports, listed below in order of season's start.
Although the word "activities" is used in the name, the AAA is directly responsible only for interscholastic athletics. Other activities, including music, forensics, and spirit groups, are governed by their own associations affiliated with yet not part of the AAA, who is only responsible for sanctioning (approving) the events. These associations usually adopt the AAA's means of determing eligibility as well as its size classifications seen below, but regional classifications and means of organizing events are left only to their respective associations.
The AAA organizes its member schools by 3-year average daily membership (ADM) in grades 10-12 every two years. Each classification is organized by rank, as opposed to a minimum threshold, to maintain consistent numbers for each class.
Since 2006, the schools have been organized as follows.
The means of placing private schools within these classifications have become a key issue in Arkansas. Prior to 2002, only single-gender schools would have its enrollment altered, in this case by doubling the reported enrollment. in 2002, the enrollments reported by private schools was multiplied by 1.35. In 2006, that multiplier was increased to 1.75. Starting in 2008, the multiplier wil be dropped altogether, and each private school will be placed one classification above where the enrollment would otherwise place the school.
Within each classification, the schools are further grouped into conferences, each with 6-8 schools apiece. In Classes 7A-5A, the conferences are named according to directional region (i.e. 7A-West, 6A-Central, 5A-Southeast). In the smaller classes, the conferences are named according to the activity district number which the conference is centrally located (a class 4A conference in western Arkansas would be the 4A-4 conference). In smaller classes, there can be more than one conference within an activity district. These are further named according to directional area (a pair of class 2A conferences in southwest Arkansas would be the 2A-7 West and 2A-7 East). Classes 3A and 2A group conferences for football and basketball separately (Mountainburg is in Conference 3A-1 for football and 3A-4 for basketball). Finally, sports with limited sponsorship, such as soccer and swimming, have their own conferences between the participants. These special conferences often transcend multiple classes.
As of 2010, the rules for 7A and 6A classification for football have been changed. The divisions still compete in separate playoffs, but two regional conferences that have previously been exclusive to 7A or 6A now have a mix of 7A and 6A schools so as to save on transportation expenses during the regular season.
For purposes of clarity , the activity districts with regions covered are as follows.
The AAA has changed both the names and means of these classifications over time. Prior to 1977, the classes ranged from Class AAAA to Class C, with AAAA including the 8 largest schools in Arkansas. In 1977, the first "class shift" added an "A" to each class, and references to Class C were removed. In 1983, Class AAAAA merged into and was renamed Class AAAA, with all other classes relatively consistent. 1998 witnessed the second "class shift", this time removing all references to Class B. In 2006, Class AAAAA was split in half, and Classes AAA and AA, both with over 70 schools each, were reorganized into three smaller classes. At first, the largest class was called Class AAAAAAA. The current naming conventions, changing the reference to 7A, were adopted soon after.
Prior to 2006, the activity district number was placed in front of the class for conference names (i.e. 4AAA, 7AA-East). These naming conventions changed as well, but many local media outlets still placed the district number before the class (3-4A instead of 4A-3). Prior to this, a few outlets mixed prior references to new ones (some newspapers in western Arkansas made references to the 4AAA-West, yet such a conference never existed).
The following conferences are valid as of the 2010-2012 cycle.
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Central (all 7A except Russellville and Van Buren):
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West (all 7A):
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East (all 6A except West Memphis and LR Hall):
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South (all 6A):
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Southeast:
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East:
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Southwest:
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West:
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Region 8:
Region 7:
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Region 4:
Region 3:
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Region 2: Clinton
Region 1:
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Region 6:
Region 5:
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Region 4:
Region 3:
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Region 2:
Region 1: |
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Region 8:
Region 7:
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Region 6:
Region 5:
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Region 4:
Region 3:
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Region 1 East:
Region 1 West:
Region 2 North:
Region 2 South:
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Region 3:
Region 5 North:
Region 5 West:
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Region 7 Central:
Region 7 North:
Region 7 South:
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In order to decide a winner of each classification, each conference sends the top 5 teams within them to attend the state playoffs. All number 1 seed schools get a first round bye. The playoffs are in a single elimination tournament that decides the best teams in a classification. Rounds are played weekly until two teams remain in the tournament. The two remaining teams will play at a set location to decide the state champion in the classification. These rules for playoffs apply to football only. In regards to the new regrouping of the 7A and 6A classes for the 2010-2012 cycle, the AAA has not yet released any specifics as to how football playoffs are to be conducted.
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