Overview of the NACDA

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics incorporates 12 different agencies into one.  Agencies such as College Athletic Business Management Association, Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association, and the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association all provide access to the latest information for many college athletic programs around the nation. 

One of the associations, the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators, recently held an educational forum for professionals with one to five years of experience.  The conference call allowed young professionals to discuss important industry tips on mid-season evaluation and goal setting.

A forum of this nature allows professionals to collaborate on what makes their jobs similar and what makes them different.  The NACMA focuses on providing “educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards ethics, and establishment of the…profession of athletics marketing administrators.”  This event is the first of its kind by the NACMA.

Networking influences the industry because it provides a checks and balances system professionals can use to ensure they are keeping the same standards as their industry counterparts.  Because of the scope of the membership, they access large market schools and provide information to smaller schools that are looking to expand.  In addition to this, they provide job listings that are not available to the common job seeker.  This qualifies visitors to this site as people who intend on careers in college sports. 

The NACDA began in 1965 and has since grown to include more than 6100 members at 1600 institutions in the US, Canada and Mexico.  The membership list ranges from associate directors to conference commissioners and affiliated corporations.  It is important to have an agency such as this because it opens paths to education and individuals that some professionals may otherwise not be able to contact. 

Of particular interest is the internship program.  Sports administration is one of the harder industries to infiltrate and networking or educational opportunities are rare.  The internship program helps to guide young, potential athletic directors with the chance to gain and develop rapport within the industry. 

The association features a mini-association for almost every facet of athletics. There is one for athletic compliance, one for only two-year college athletic directors, a separate one for athletic development, one for minorities, licensing, athletic directors in division II schools and division I-AAA in addition to the ones names earlier.  The various groups provide opportunities for education and access to videos, libraries and information related to their specialization.