What constitutes a Third Party Special or Sponsored Event?
Per FHSAA Policy 7.6, a third party is any entity that is not a member of the FHSAA and is organizing, producing or managing an event that involves FHSAA member schools or NFHS schools from out of state, regardless of where the event is held. Sanctioning and any FHSAA fees for the event are the responsibility of the third party hosting the event, not the participating member school. It is however the responsibility of the member school to ensure the event in which they are participating has been approved and sanctioned by the FHSAA.
What forms are a member school required to submit if participating in a Third Party Sponsored Event?
The member school does not need to submit any paperwork since the event is being sponsored directly by a third party entity. A member school only needs to make sure the event(s) in which they are participating are properly sanctioned by the FHSAA. This can be checked via the approved event list below. Member schools who participate in events that are not sanctioned will be subject to penalties as outlined in FHSAA Policy 7.6.4.
What forms are required from the Third Party Sponsor?
A Third Party Event sanction application must be completed first and sent to the FHSAA by the third party event coordinator putting on the event. Once the application is completed, the corporation or promoter must enter into a written contrractual agreement with the FHSAA, providing terms, proof of insurance and a fee to be provided to the FHSAA in exchange for FHSAA’s official sanction of the event. All of this must be completed no later than thirty (30) days prior to the event.
*Please be aware that an NFHS sanction may be required as well if non-Florida schools are participating. This sanction is independent of the FHSAA and may require additional steps, paperwork, and fees. More information on this requirement can be found here.
What fees are required by a Third Party?
The third party corporation or promoter is required to request a sanction of the event directly through the above process, and will be responsible to pay the appropriate sanctioning fee(s) directly to the FHSAA. The sanctioning fee will be specified in the written agreement. The current fee structure can be found here. Requests made within 30 days of the event may be subject to an additional $50 late fee charge, or may not receive an FHSAA sanction at all.
Current Approved Third Party Events: