1. Athletic Administrators’ Association
Prepared for: ACAMIS & EARCOS
Prepared by: Red Johnston, Athletic Director, International School of Dongguan
28 February, 2014
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATORS’ ASSOCIATION

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Rationale
“With the vast turnover of athletic administrators, a need has developed for an
educational program to support the new administrators and at the same time offer a
professional development program for the experienced athletic director.” This is the
rationale the National Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association (NIAAA) used
to start their Leadership Training Institute and educate administrators in the United
States and the same problems exists for international athletic administrators. With this
in mind, a number of athletic administrators from around the world have set out to
create an international association and some regional ones that will help address these
problems.
By creating two athletic administrators’ associations, one for East Asia and another
“local” association for China & Mongolia, these associations will be able to service a
great number of athletic administrators, provide quality professional development,
establish networking opportunities and develop an international certification program
that will be recognized throughout the world. It is proposed that the East Asian
association be run through EARCOS which will allow them to provide the
aforementioned benefits during their annual Leadership Conference in the fall.
Further, the China and Mongolia association could provide the same benefits through
ACAMIS at their annual spring conference giving administrators several options to
partake in quality professional growth opportunities within China and East Asia.
Both associations would partner with the NIAAA to provide Leadership Training Courses
(LTC), an international certification, and a Masters degree program for international
athletic administrators. The NIAAA is the “first association to receive accreditation
from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School
Improvement Career, Technical and Postsecondary Division.” They are the flagship
organization and national association for middle and high school athletic administrators
in America. Their Leadership Training Institute “provides education, leadership and
service platforms to best help colleagues network, choose from resources, draw from
practices and give back to your profession while advancing in one’s career.”

3. Having this type of professional organization will help “up the game” of athletic
administrators running programs within ACAMIS and EARCOS. The benefits these
professional organizations will provide are invaluable and will allow athletic programs
throughout East Asia and the world to reach new heights due to the professional growth
of the administrators in charge of them.
Steps Taken
The NIAAA is currently working to procure a grant from the U.S. State Department that
will be used to provide resources and instructors for professional development to
athletic administrators around the world. A number of the countries are in Asia
including; China, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Approximately 15 international athletic administrators from around the world attended
the NIAAA National Convention this past December in Anaheim California. We all met
with Bruce Whitehead, Executive Director of the NIAAA, and a few key members of his
staff to continue discussions and formulate a plan for creating the International
Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA). A group of athletic
administrators from Europe and Canada have been meeting during the summers the
past three years at the home office of the NIAAA in Indianapolis, Indiana to write
curriculum and rewrite the LTC courses to suit international athletic administrators.
Kathy Ong, Athletic Director from Brent International School Manila, Philippines and
Red Johnston, Athletic Director from the International School of Dongguan, China have
both committed to hosting training sessions in their countries to satisfy terms of the
grant over the next three years. Having ACAMIS and EARCOS host these classes at their
annual conferences will also satisfy this requirement.
Danny Clarke, Athletic Director, and Andy Vasily, PE instructor from Nanjing
International School, have worked to create an online athletic director PLC group with
members from a number of schools in East Asia. Google Hangout is the main tool of
communication and teams from around the world (time zone specific mostly) meet
regularly to collaborate and share their goals and action plans to help meet their
growth goals. The initial five areas that we have decided to concentrate on are;
Coaches Education & Development, Student-Athlete Education & Development,
Sanctioned PD for AD Int'l Certification, Technology, and Job Organizational
Components. This type of PLC can be a vital component and learning tool to the
athletic administrators association, thereby better serving the needs of international
schools and their students.
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATORS’ ASSOCIATION

4. Within the past two weeks Bruce Whitehead spoke to Dick Krajczar, Executive director
of EARCOS and Dick has agreed to cover the cost of one instructor from the United
States to fly out and present at this falls Leadership Conference. If and when the NIAAA
is awarded the grant monies the cost of future instructors will come from those funds.
Part of the grant requirements is having two PD sessions per year. Since EARCOS has
agreed to host one of them at their annual Leadership Conference the second event are
scheduled for China in 2015 and 2017 and the Philippines in 2016. It is proposed that
the annual spring General Meeting of ACAMIS be the venue to host both the 2015 and
2017 events.
Goals
The goal of this proposal is two-fold: first to start a professional organization for
athletic administrators in East Asia and then to provide them with quality professional
development opportunities several times per year. The following are the goals thus far:
✦ Create a China/Mongolia Athletic Administrators Association through ACAMIS
(CMIAAA) during 2013-14
• Offer a variety of LTI Courses during ACAMIS spring conference
• Offer certification programs to athletic administrators
• Offer online Sports Management masters degree program through NIAAA
partnered universities
✦ Create an East Asia Association through EARCOS (EAIAAA) during 2013-14
• Provide a variety of LTI Courses during EARCOS fall Leadership
Conference
• Provide certification programs to athletic administrators
• Offer online Sports Management masters degree program through NIAAA
partnered universities
✦ To register 80-90% of all member athletic administrators in China, Mongolia &
East Asia within 3 years
✦ Provide quality PD opportunities throughout China and East Asia for athletic
administrators several times per year
✦ Expand the Online ADPLC to as many members as possible
✦ Provide online webinars

5. Financial Implications
As stated earlier, the NIAAA is currently working on submitting a grant proposal to the
U.S. State Department applying for a grant upwards of $250,000 USD. The grant
application is due the week of February 24, 2014. The grant is for 3 years, 2015-2017
and they are asking for funds to conduct 2 training sessions each year during that 3-
year period. The request is as follows:
2 training session per year and each session would be over 2 days, teaching 4 classes
during each session. AA’s would be able to take the classes at no cost to the
administrators but would be responsible for their travel, lodging and meal expenses
with exception of one meal. Expenses for instructors would be paid by grant. Each
training session would be limited to 75 people and if successful this grant will offset
the cost of the LTI courses those 75 athletic administrators
Once this professional association is formally developed, a board should be put in place
and annual membership dues be charged for each individual seeking membership. The
money raised will help offset the cost of creating professional development, paying for
guest lecturers and other expenses associated with running such an organization.
There will be no additional cost incurred by either ACAMIS or EARCOS. Both associations
would only need to provide meeting space, (which is already occurring) at their annual
conventions for the classes to take place.