How To Start An AAU Basketball Team: A Step-By-Step Guide
What is AAU basketball? AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union. These groupings are usually regarded as club teams because they are only recreational sports groups that provide youth in the United States and Canada with athletic options.
Different rules apply to AAU basketball teams than to high school or college teams. As a result, if you prefer that your kid play AAU basketball rather than pick up another sport, it’s crucial to be aware of these guidelines! We’ll cover all the steps involved in starting an AAU basketball team from scratch in this post, from defining what an AAU team is through scheduling your first game.
What is an AAU Basketball Team?
An AAU basketball team is a group of young athletes who compete against other AAU teams in their respective age groups. AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union. And the acronym reflects the fact that it’s not just any sports organization – these are amateur athletic unions!
First Steps To Starting an AAU Basketball Team
Finding The Players
To start an AAU basketball team, find other parents who are interested. once you’ve mastered AAU regulations. The next step should be to explore other parents who wish to join an AAU team.
If there aren’t any AAU teams now playing in your location, they can later on develop into rivals, which is typical if you reside outside of significant urban centers like New York or San Francisco. After that, you can build a brand-new AAU team!
Many families already have basketball-playing kids, but not all of those families may want their child to be on an AAU team that competes. Before beginning the formal paperwork required to establish an AAU club, you must locate at least five (5) more players and parents who are interested in working together as teammates.
Once you’ve got enough people together. It’s time to make arrangements for setting up practices and getting games scheduled against other teams!
Register Your Club
Register Your AAU Club With The Local Athletic Union to form a new sports organization. This means filling out forms and providing proof that everyone involved knows what they’re doing! AAU registration is a complicated process. But it’s the first step to getting your AAU basketball team off of the ground.
Onto The Paperwork
Applications and Waiver Forms
An AAU Club Application and Waiver Form must be filled out. After that, your local amateur athletic union should send you a package with detailed guidelines for establishing an AAU club. Before moving forward, please sure to properly read this package!
On the AAU website, under “Contact Us,” you can find the contact details for the majority of regional amateur athletic unions. To locate the regional AAU office in your area, simply enter your zip code and choose “Elite Clubs National League (ECNL)” and “Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)”.
Acquire Business Licenses, Tax ID Numbers, and Other Official Documents
Once you’ve registered with AAU, it’s time to get an official tax identification number (or TIN) for your club! This is a special type of business license that will allow you to accept payment from parents. Who want their children playing on your AAU team.
Also, if any agreements are reached between certain players or families that are not part of the AAU itself, like shoe endorsements. Then, this document enables both parties to those transactions to properly record and account for them.
So there aren’t any misunderstandings down the line about how much money should go where.
How To Get A Federal Tax ID Number
You’ll need an Employer Identification Number (or EIN) in addition to your TIN in order to open a bank account for your AAU team and start receiving payments from parents. It is better to fill out paper forms, either online or at a nearby IRS office, in order to obtain these official documentation.
There are also private businesses like this one that can issue both types of document numbers on-site with just a few bits of information about yourself if you’d want to avoid making that trip.
Make sure everyone involved has their official AAU documents to avoid any unnecessary issues or fines! You should try and get federal tax identification numbers for your team. At least two weeks before the first game of the AAU season!
What’s Next?
Once you’ve got an AAU club, open bank accounts for everyone involved, get business licenses and TINs to accept payment from parents – either online or through private companies. Then it’s time to start scheduling games against other teams in your area.
Within a year, make sure that each participant has a physical exam performed by a medical professional. Prior to joining AAU clubs, be sure all family members who participate on your AAU basketball team have signed waivers.
How Much Does an AAU Team Cost?
AAU membership dues must be paid annually, no matter how much money your team has to spend! The average cost per family is $150, which, for big groups, can be divided among several people.
Additionally, you may also have to purchase uniforms and other equipment depending on the sport or activity that you’re taking part in. Basketball tends to require more gear than most sports like golf or track & field do.
It’s vital to remember that the AAU does not supply any AAU Basketball Team Uniforms; this is not a service that they provide.
So instead of having different people buy shoes, shorts/skirts, jerseys, and other stuff separately, keep a look out for local businesses who might be able to help with buying everything at once.
How To Save Money On AAU Basketball Team Uniforms
The ideal strategy to purchase AAU basketball team uniforms for the lowest price is to collaborate with regional businesses that are eager to provide customers discounts on their goods. Online social media campaigns or word-of-mouth advertising can be used to accomplish this.
When publishing information about your future games, simply state that you’re searching for AAU club sponsorship opportunities in exchange for a long-term contract, if necessary.
AAU Basketball Rules and Regulations
Unlike high school or college basketball, AAU basketball has distinct rules than those of other leagues. The main thing that parents need to know before registering their kids for an AAU team is that AAU players are not eligible for endorsement deals for shoes or other types of cash.
This implies that all AAU athletes are considered amateurs for the purposes of the sports organization – professional contracts are not permitted! Here are some extra details on how AAU basketball operates.
- An AAU team consists of five (5) players on the court at one time. However, there can be six (six) alternates available in case someone is unable to play.
- AAU basketball games are two twenty (20) minute halves. With a five (five) minute halftime break in the middle. Games usually last around one and a half hours, give or take depending on how long it takes for all of the players to get used to playing together as part of their AAU team.
- If neither side has a clear advantage at the end of regulation time, a “sudden death” shootout will be used to decide the winner. Each team will get one chance to make a three-point shot.
- Five fouls are permitted for AAU players before they are removed from that game. If they, however, commit their fifth personal foul in overtime, that is, following the sudden death round. When the following game begins, they are immediately eliminated and cannot play again.
Greatest AAU teams ever assembled
Did you know that almost every american-born NBA player have also once played in AAU tournaments! You will be surprised with the possible pairing of “superteams” of the future-NBA players as youth atheletes!
| Team | Players |
| Patterson New Jersey AAU team (1994) | Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tim Thomas, Rip Hamilton |
| Riverside Church (1996) | Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom |
| So-Cal All-Stars (2005-2006) | Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, Chase Budinger |
| Spice Indy Heat (2004) | Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr., Jeff Teague, Daequon Cook, Eric Gordon, and Josh McRoberts |
The table above is an example of how AAU can be a stepping stone for youth athletes who also want to have a future in basketball careers. AAU is a great opportunity for growth of younger generations. Even though most players are young, they take this seriously while still being able to enjoy it!
Conclusion
After reading this blog post about how to start an AAU basketball team. It’s pretty easy to understand what you need to get involved with AAU basketball. AAU is the perfect way for children to explore their love of sports. And develop healthy habits that will last them a lifetime!
If you’d like to learn more about AAU. Then click here! You can also follow their official social media accounts for more updates.
