Presenting Partner Agreements

Definition, Policies, and Application Information

The North Dakota High School Activities Association’s mission is to provide outstanding educational opportunities for students through fine arts activities and athletics. To further this mission, the Association may engage in an agreement to become a Presenting Partner of a state championship of an interscholastic and education-based fine arts activity or sport operated by a non-NDHSAA governing body. This partnership must be deemed mutually beneficial, promote and support the identified program and increase the participation of high school students, including those who have not typically engaged in NDHSAA activities. The appropriate definitions and requirements of the activities and the governing organization are further explained in this document.

Definition

• The program must be education-based, which means the student participation and affiliation with a team are based on each student’s attendance at a high school and participants must be fully enrolled students at the school in which they participate.
• The education-based activity must be available and endorsed by numerous schools.
• The governing organization must be an accredited nonprofit organization (pursuant to N.D.C.C. 10-33), considered a 501(c)(3), or similar designation.

Policies and Requirements

1. The NDHSAA will not engage as the Presenting Partner of a state championship for activities or athletics if already in a Presenting Partner Agreement with another similar organization or if the Association has an interscholastic program in the respective fine arts activity or sport.
2. The NDHSAA Board of Directors is the governing body responsible for review and approval of any applications for a proposed Presenting Partner Agreement.
3. The NDHSAA will have full control over the timeline of adoption as a Presenting Partner and implementation of the state championship partnership.
4. The governing organization for the requested activity or sport must have a competitive league developed, be in full operation of regular and postseason and have NDHSAA member school participating in the activity or sport operation prior to requesting a Presenting Partner agreement.
5. The activity or athletic program must function as its own entity and not be reliant on the NDHSAA funding for support.
6. The governing organization is responsible for the registration of cooperative agreements, if allowed, according to the NDHSAA Cooperative Agreement By-Law.  To participate in the state championship, member schools must be registered with the NDHSAA and may only be a part of one cooperative agreement with other registered NDHSAA member schools.
7. The governing organization is responsible for the establishment of competitive rules and certifying eligible officials for the event.
8. The governing organization is financially responsible for regular season and postseason competition prior to the state championship level.
9. The Association will only present a state championship event.  Qualifiers for the state championship will be determined through competition in the regular season or postseason through the governing organization.
10. As the Presenting Partner of a state championship, the Association is financially responsible for hosting the NDHSAA State Championship, including control of all media rights.
11. Only students who are enrolled and attend high school at a NDHSAA member school, duly registered for the fine arts activity or sport, are eligible for participation in the state championship presented by the NDHSAA.
12. Students must meet all eligibility requirements within the NDHSAA Constitution to be eligible for participation in the Association sponsored state championship. NDHSAA Member Schools are permitted to require compliance with additional rules and regulations, or to extend existing by-laws if they so choose.

Presenting Partner Agreement Application

To apply for a Presenting Partner Agreement, an activity or sport program must:

1. Have written support of the current governing organization to engage with the NDHSAA in a Presenting Partner Agreement.
2. Have a track record of effective management, respectful competition and good sportsmanship, supportive of the educational mission of the League and be solely in control of the program and competition.
3. Have a minimum of 12 school based-teams (no more than one per member high school or coop) competing for a minimum of two consecutive years prior to the application. The application must be accompanied by completed commitment forms from a minimum of 12 teams indicating their commitment to participate in the NDHSAA presented state championship should the agreement be approved.
4. Upon receipt of the Presenting Partner Agreement application, the NDHSAA Board of Directors will review all information provided, including data demonstrating that all benchmarks and policies have been met and that the current governing organization is committed to a Presenting Partner Agreement.
5. The NDHSAA Board of Directors will then make a determination as to whether the activity/sport is approved and will establish a timeline for the implementation of the state championship.

NDHSAA Board of Directors Approval - June 11, 2024