IFAF is fundamentally a Members organisation and our Members play a key role in driving forward the growth and development of all formats of the game on a global level.
With 3 levels of membership: Allied, Associate and Full; IFAF has over 70 members with membership spanning all five continents – Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
Membership is open to one National Federation per country with that federation having to meet a clear set of criteria as outlined in the IFAF Statues.
Allied membership is an entry level membership with no voting rights and a time limited status of 3 years. The IFAF leadership has the right to cover this to emerging federations. Allied Members can progress to becoming Associate Members and Full Members. To move from Allied Member status to Associate Member status requires approval from the IFAF Membership at Congress.
Applications for membership should be sent to the Managing Director.
The criteria for Membership of IFAF is outlined in the IFAF Statutes.
Core membership requirements for all tiers of membership
Member federations must be a legally-constituted body that is not-for-profit in the country it seeks to represent;
Member federations must have an organisational or corporate bank account;
Member federations must provide working plan to promote gender representation in committees and on the Board;
Member federations constitutions must be democratic and declare its opposition to any discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion, creed, political beliefs, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or trade union activity, and its formal undertaking to be bound by and to comply with the obligations placed on Members pursuant to the Statutes and the Regulations;
Member federations governing documents (as amended from time to time) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by its national laws, comply with the Organisation’s Statutes, Rules, and the Regulations;
Member federations must be concerned solely and exclusively with the administration, organisation and playing of American football and not with any other sport (unless authorized to operate as a multi-sport federation by the relevant national government or lead sports development agencies in its respective country);
Member federations must have paid the relevant annual membership payment; and
Member federations must at all times be in full compliance with the IFAF Statutes and the Regulations
Allied Members must present their Statutes, Regulations and Annual Accounts to the Executive Board on an annual basis;
Allied Members must provide a working plan to promote elite athlete engagement within the federation’s governance;
Allied Members must have a stated mission and purpose to develop the sport;
Allied Members must have a stated mission and purpose to develop high performance and / or international competitive initiatives
Associate Members must have been charged with the leadership and management of the sport in their country by the applicable government ministry, sporting authority and / or National Olympic Committee and claim the exclusive right to govern amateur football in its country;
Associate Members must publish their financial statements on an annual basis and present its Statutes, Regulations and annual accounts to the Organisation’s Board on an annual basis;
Associate Members must have an Athlete Committee with representatives of the competitive discipline(s) in which the federation participates;
Associate Members must compete in a minimum of one approved IFAF fixture (tackle or flag) in the most recent two-year membership period to maintain membership status;
Associate Members must have organised, under its auspices, regulated competitions and implemented referee and coach development systems, as part of a published development strategy;
Associate Members must demonstrate a working plan to develop, support and execute its high performance programmes, specifically for national team participation in IFAF international fixtures;
Associate Members must appoint a minimum of one delegate to attend and participate in each Congress.
Any national federation that has been conferred Associate Membership may be eligible to become a Full Member upon meeting the following requirements:
Full Members must have been charged with the leadership and management of the sport in their country by the applicable government ministry, sporting authority and / or National Olympic Committee and claim the exclusive right to govern amateur football in its country;
Full Members must publish their financial statements on an annual basis and present its Statutes, Regulations and annual accounts to the Organisation’s Board on an annual basis;
Full Members must have an Athlete Committee with representatives of the competitive discipline(s) in which the federation participates;
Full Members must compete in international competition in:
- both a male and female category in at least one format (tackle or flag); and,
- at least one additional category (regardless of format) within the most recent two-year membership period to maintain membership status.
Full Members must have organised, under its auspices, regulated competitions and implemented referee and coach development systems, as part of a published development strategy;
Full Members must demonstrate a working plan to develop, support and execute its high performance programmes, specifically for national team participation in IFAF international fixtures.
