Much has been made, by a few, over the changes that have occurred at the AIA since the 2008-2013 Strategic Plan was adopted and implemented in 2008. Its success has been the fodder of the uninformed and by those who do not want to face the facts of the changing landscape in Arizona. The Board, membership and staff stand together in our focus and resolve to complete the objectives and goals of our game plan.

The Strategic Plan was created in 2008 as a five year plan to further the mission of the Association. It was discussed, drafted and approved by three committees focusing on the fiscal responsibilities, operations and statewide presence of the Association. The strategic planning process, never having been done in a formal manner, the AIA Executive Board commissioned the Plan and engaged the staff to bring on an outside facilitator to produce the plan and ultimately share with the membership. Over 60 people from the school and at large community were involved in its formulation and sending to the AIA Executive Board for approval.

Once approved by the Board, the plan was shared with the membership through conference, region and various ad-hoc committees. Well over 1,000 people have been involved in the implementation of the Plan. The implementation continues today.  Focusing on enhancing the fiscal and operational structure of the Association, the AIA staff has overhauled and utilized technology to advance the efficacy and efficiency of accounting for and maintaining, as good stewards, the assets of the association.  This included bringing the Association’s organizational structure within generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP), following changes to the IRS informational return and audit guidelines, as well as realizing that the Association was operating at a deficit and change needed to occur. We are now operating under GAAP and within the IRS/audit mandates of the revised form 990.

A significant component of the Strategic Plan called for the Association to enhance the media capabilities. This started what was the AIAdigitalnetwork.com, not seen by many, to what is now www.aia365.com. Continued emphasis was placed on the need to control the membership’s content and provide an environment that promoted the accomplishments of our students and coaches as opposed to the emerging “anonymity” of message boards and chat rooms. The move to partner with AZCentral as an experiment while providing a platform to engage the public and prove the model of high school sports being a viable platform, the AIA in the past 5 years has emerged as a true sports property.

Through much of the relationship with AZCentral, the AIA was involved in a dialogue with the Arizona Newspaper Association as to what the role of the media would play in the future of covering and commercializing AIA content. This dialogue in AZ resulted in a mutual agreement as to the credentialing standards in covering AIA sports. This however carried over to our sister association in Wisconsin who carried the burden of legal action to protect its legal rights to federal court. The AIA recognizing this important battle and filed a brief in support of the Wisconsin Association in their battle with Gannett. Judgments in favor of the Wisconsin Association at the trial and appellate level have affirmed the state associations overseeing interscholastic activities the right to control on behalf of their membership the right to monetize and disseminate their championships.

As we look to the future, www.aia365.com will continue to afford AIA member schools a free platform to promote their individual school and produce needed revenue through the creation and distribution of their content. No small accomplishment based on the battles and team effort of not only those in AZ but also those of our sister associations.

The 2008-2013 Strategic Plan has created many successes in the form of www.aia365.com, created a framework to provide a fiscally sound future, not mentioned above a state of the art scheduling program that has reduced travel and more importantly an opportunity for the member schools to have a diverse voice in the future of our Association. This voice comes with great responsibility. Not taken lightly by our Executive Board and staff, it must also be met with the same expressed understanding as to maintaining the course by our membership from district governing board members, superintendents, principals, coaches, students and athletic administrators. We must actively engage our mission as President Theodore Roosevelt stated, “In short, in life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!”