Membership Categories

As the National Governing Body of Softball, USA Softball provides millions of players, fans, coaches, administrators, umpires and parents with benefits upon registering to play #USASoftball.

1. Athlete members. Athlete members are those individuals who are eligible for competition in the sport of softball, who are competitive athletes and who register with and pay the applicable registration fee to their Local Association. Athlete members shall include those persons who individually register as Athlete members with an applicable Local Association, and also those persons listed on a team roster that registers its team with an applicable Local Association. Athlete members shall pay an annual membership fee to USA Softball (USAS) as determined by the USAS Board.

2. Elite Athlete members. Elite Athlete members are those individuals who are invited or selected to participate in USA Softball’s National Team activities and who are eligible for elite competition in the sport of softball. Elite Athlete members place their membership with USAS and there is no annual membership fee for Elite Athlete members.

3. Coach members. Coach members are those individuals who are active coaches and who register with and pay the applicable registration fee to their Local Association.

4. Scorekeeper members. Scorekeeper members are those individuals who are active scorekeepers and who register with and pay the applicable registration fee to their Local Association.

5. Umpire members. Umpire members are those individuals who are active umpires and who register with and pay the applicable registration fee to their Local Association.

6. Commissioner members. Commissioner members are those individuals, as designated by the USAS Board and as accepted by the applicable Local Association, to act as a liaison to USAS on behalf of a Local Association. Commissioner members place their membership with USAS and there is no annual membership fee for Commissioner members. Commissioner members shall also include those Commissioner members who have been approved by the USAS Board to be Commissioner Emeritus members, who are defined as those members having fifteen (15) years of service, or ten (10) years of service if the Commissioner is over 70 years of age. The aforementioned years of previous service as a Commissioner does not need to be consecutive.

7. Junior Olympic (JO) Commissioner members. JO Commissioner members are those individuals, as designated by each Commissioner member and as accepted by the applicable Local Association Member, to promote the USAS JO Program within the geographic boundaries of a Local Association. Junior Olympic (JO) Commissioner members place their membership with the applicable Local Association and there is no annual membership fee for Junior Olympic (JO) Commissioner members.

8. National Council members. National Council members are those persons, as defined in Section 9.3 of these Bylaws, and who have voting rights on the National Council. National Council members who are existing members by virtue of other membership within USAS place their membership with their applicable Local Association, and there shall be no need for further membership specifically as a National Council member. To the extent there is no applicable Local Association or other applicable membership category, then such National Council member shall place his or her membership with USAS pursuant to any eligibility requirements for National Council membership as determined by the USAS Board. National Council members shall also include those National Council members who have been approved by the USAS Board to be National Council Member Emeritus members, who are defined as those members having fifteen (15) years of previous tenure on the USAS National Council. The aforementioned fifteen (15) years of previous service on the National Council does not need to be consecutive.

9. Life members. Life members are those individuals who desire to aid in the promotion of the game of Softball, and who previously have been members of USAS or served as members of the National Council. Life members shall register with and pay a lifetime membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

10. Supporter Members. Supporter members are those individuals who register with and are recognized by USAS as supporters of USAS and its programs. Supporter members place their membership with USAS and meet any eligibility requirements for Supporter membership as determined by the USAS Board. Supporter members shall pay annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

1. Team members. Team members are those teams who register with and pay the applicable registration fee to their local association. However, if a local association does not offer a softball program, and the team is associated with an Allied Association, then the team may register directly with and pay the applicable registration fee to USA Softball. 

Organizational members are divided into three categories: Local Association Members, Allied members and Affiliated members.

Local Association members. Local Association Members are those entities recognized by the USAS Board. See Section 6.1 of the USA Softball Bylaws. Recognition authorizes the Local Association to accept membership registrations and promote the sport of amateur softball within their applicable designated geographic boundaries.

Allied members.

a. Armed Forces members. Armed Forces members are the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy and Marines, provided they register with and pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USA Board.

b. Disabled Sports Organization members. Disabled Sports Organization members are those non-profit organizations that conduct national softball competitions designated exclusively for individuals who are physically or mentally disabled. Disabled Sports Organization members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

c. Educational Based members. Educational Based members are those non-profit organizations comprised of member educational institutions. Educational Based members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

d. Promotional Organization members. Promotional Organization members are those non-profit organizations which conduct player or coach clinics or camps, conduct softball competitions or are engaged in other activities that promote the sport of softball on a national level in accordance with the objectives of USAS. Promotional Organization members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

e. State Games Organization member. The State Games Organization member is the National Congress of State Games, provided it registers with and pays an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

f. State Park and Recreation Organization/Association members. State Park and Recreation/Association members are those non-profit organizations whose primary purpose is to promote parks and recreation activities, which include softball, in their respective jurisdictions. State Park and Recreation Organization/Association members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

g. Philanthropic and Instructional Organization members. Philanthropic and Instructional Organization members are those non-profit organizations that are philanthropic in nature or that primarily promote the instruction of the game of softball in a clinical or other setting and do not conduct any national softball competition. Philanthropic and Instructional Organization members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

Affiliated Organization members. Affiliated Organization members are those non-profit sports organizations that conduct a national program or regular national athletic competition in the sport of softball on a level of 10 proficiency appropriate for the selection of amateur athletes to represent the United States in international amateur athlete competitions in the Sport of softball. In addition to any other organization who would meet this criterion, an organization accepted as an Allied member, who also meets the criteria, may apply for and be accepted as an Affiliated Organization member. Affiliated Organization members shall pay an annual membership fee to USAS as determined by the USAS Board.

 

Life members are those individuals who desire to aid in the promotion of the game of Softball, and who previously have been members of USA Softball or served as members of the National Council. Life members shall register with and pay a lifetime membership fee to USA Softball as determined by the USA Softball Board of Directors.  For more information, please contact your respective Board member.

Click here to view a list of USA Softball Life Members

When you register to play USA Softball, you join a membership of over one million players, coaches and umpires from all across the U.S.  Based in Oklahoma City, Okla., USA Softball is the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the U.S. and provides people of all ages the chance to Play the Game America Plays®!   As one of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of state/metro associations.  

USA Softball affords millions of players, fans, coaches, administrators, umpires and parents with benefits upon registering to play #USASoftball. While each USA Softball local association and member league offers unique opportunities upon registering, certain benefits exist for everyone just by being part of the program. For example, all teams get complimentary copies of the USA Softball's Official Rules of Softball, as well as exclusive discounts on team travel and softball specific insurance products.

HOW DO I REGISTER TO PLAY USA SOFTBALL?

Through its network of state/metro associations, USA Softball provides online registrations for teams and leagues. Most state/metro associations that use RegisterUSASoftball.com to process registrations will have specific, detailed instructions posted on their website to guide the user through the registration process. NOTE: Some associations do not allow online registrations but will provide instructions on how to register your team or league.

Click here to contact your Local Association and register today >>

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REGISTER TO PLAY USA SOFTBALL?

Costs are determined locally, and vary with each Local Association. Please contact your Local Association Commissioner to find out more information on costs for registration.