Archery Associations: World Archery, USA Archery, NFAA, NASP and More

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An archer’s first “federation” is usually a folding table at the club: a sign-up sheet, a coach with a whistle and a box of loaner arm guards. A few years later the same archer might be pinning a USA Archery achievement star to a lanyard, driving a school team to the NASP nationals in Louisville, shooting the Vegas Shoot, or chasing a spot at the Olympic trials. Here are the archery associations and competitions in the US and worldwide: who runs what, how each one fits, and where kids, college students, adults and para archers can compete.

Who’s who in archery

Organization	What it runs	Who it’s for
World Archery	International rules; World Championships, World Cup; Olympic and Paralympic archery	National federations and international athletes
USA Archery	US national governing body for Olympic-style archery; JOAD, Explore Archery, collegiate program, national championships, US teams	Everyone from beginners to the national team
NFAA	Field, hunter and animal rounds, indoor 300 and Vegas rounds, leagues	Field and indoor archers of all ages, Cub to Master Senior
NASP	In-school archery lessons and school tournaments	Students in grades 4–12
Collegiate programs	USA Archery Collegiate Archery Program; NFAA collegiate divisions	College and university students

World Archery

World Archery was founded in 1931 in Lwów (today Lviv, Ukraine) as the Fédération Internationale de Tir à l’Arc (FITA), by delegates from seven countries. It now has more than 160 national member associations (165 as of September 2025) and five continental associations. It writes the rules for target, field, 3D, para and indoor archery, runs the World Championships and the World Cup, and governs archery at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. When you read about the 70-meter distance, the set system or the 122 cm target face, those come from World Archery’s rule books (see our archery rules).

USA Archery

USA Archery is the national governing body for Olympic-style archery in the US. Its youth programs aim to serve kids whether they shoot for fun or dream of the Olympics, Paralympics or World Championships. The main programs:

• Explore Archery: a beginner program developed with the Archery Trade Association: try-archery events, one-day and one-week camps, six-week classes and even birthday parties. Instructors must be USA Archery Level 1 certified or equivalent.
• JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development): year-round club coaching for youth from age 8, indoors and out, in barebow, basic compound, fixed pins, recurve and compound. USA Archery membership is required. Archers earn achievement “star pins” from green to gold, and a “6-Gold” pin for six 10s in a row.
• Adult archery: club programs and an adult achievement award program, with age classes up to 50+, 60+ and 70+.
• Championships: state, regional and national events indoors and out; the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals were held in Colorado Springs in 2026.

NFAA: field, indoor and the Vegas Shoot

The National Field Archery Association was founded in 1939 and calls itself one of the largest field archery organizations in the world: 49 chartered state associations and more than a thousand affiliated clubs, as of 2026. Each year it holds five national tournaments, eight indoor and outdoor sectionals, national indoor and outdoor leagues and more than 100 state championships. Its rounds include the 28-target field round, the hunter and animal rounds, the indoor 300 round (60 arrows at 20 yards on a 5-spot face) and the Vegas round (30 arrows at 20 yards), shot at its best-known event, the Vegas Shoot. Age divisions run from Cub (11 and under) to Master Senior (70 and older), with compound, recurve and traditional styles.

NASP: school archery

The National Archery in the Schools Program teaches international-style target archery during the school day, for grades 4–12. NASP reports reaching more than 10,000 schools in the 2024–25 school year and more than 100,000 certified instructors over its history; teachers take an eight-hour Basic Archery Instructor course. Every school uses the same equipment, so the competition is about the archer. School teams of 12 to 24 archers (at least four of the opposite gender) compete in elementary (grades 4–5), middle (6–8) and high school (9–12) divisions. The 2026 national events were the Western National in Sandy, Utah (April), the Eastern National in Louisville, Kentucky (May) and the NASP Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida (June). NASP also awards scholarships. More on our youth archery page.

College archery

Archery isn’t one of the 24 sports with NCAA championships, so college archery has its own system. USA Archery’s Collegiate Archery Program covers varsity teams (some with scholarships), club sports and student organizations, in barebow, recurve, compound and fixed pins. Its main events:

• Collegiate Target Nationals, under World Archery rules, with team and individual titles.
• College divisions at the US Indoor Nationals: in March 2026, Texas A&M won the overall collegiate team title for the second straight year, and the University of the Cumberlands took both fixed pins team titles.
• US National 3D Collegiate Championships, run with the Archery Shooters Association, plus target and 3D regionals.
• World University Games for international college archers aged 17–24.

The NFAA launched collegiate divisions in August 2024 for full-time students at two- and four-year schools, with scholarships through its foundation. College archers in USA Archery events must be USA Archery members and meet its eligibility rules.

Olympics and Paralympics

Olympic archery is recurve, shot at 70 meters. At Paris 2024, 128 archers (64 men and 64 women) from 53 countries competed in five events: men’s and women’s individual, men’s and women’s team, and mixed team. Every event starts with a 72-arrow ranking round, then set-system matches. In April 2025, the IOC Executive Board added a compound mixed team event for Los Angeles 2028: the first new bowstyle since archery returned to the Olympics in 1972, taking the program to six events.

Para archery grew out of rehabilitation: Dr. Ludwig Guttmann held an archery tournament at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948, and archery was on the program at the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960 and every Games since. Athletes compete in the open class (recurve or compound), the W1 division for the most significant impairments, and visually impaired classes, who shoot at 30 meters with tactile sights. USA Archery’s age classes include para recurve and para compound divisions.

Clubs, leagues and 3D shoots

Most archers compete close to home: club leagues on weeknights, winter indoor leagues on 40 cm faces, NFAA field courses and summer 3D shoots. USA Archery’s “Find a Club” tool and the NFAA’s range locator are good starting points. Tournament days are long, so pack well: see archery tournament day for fueling and heat, and archery training for the off-season. For how other sports organize their pathways, compare soccer leagues and associations.

For league nights and tournaments

A good practice target at home means more arrows between league nights: the Morrell Double Duty bag target is a field-point bag target with carry handles and a replaceable cover, and the BLOCK Classic is a layered-foam target you can shoot from two sides. For the line, the Bohning Slip-On Armguard goes on with no straps. Your bow and arrows themselves should be fitted at a pro shop or club. More picks on our archery gear page.

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Archery associations FAQs

What is the governing body for archery in the US?

USA Archery, the national governing body for Olympic-style archery and the US member of World Archery. The NFAA runs field and indoor archery, and NASP runs school archery.

What is JOAD archery?

Junior Olympic Archery Development: USA Archery’s year-round club program for young archers from age 8, with certified coaches, achievement pins and a path to state, regional and national competition.

Is archery an NCAA sport?

No. Archery isn’t one of the NCAA’s championship sports. College archers compete through USA Archery’s Collegiate Archery Program and, since 2024, NFAA collegiate divisions. Some schools run varsity teams with scholarships.

Will compound archery be in the Olympics?

Yes. A compound mixed team event joins the program at Los Angeles 2028, alongside the five recurve events. It’s the first new bowstyle since archery returned to the Games in 1972.

What is the Vegas Shoot?

The NFAA’s best-known indoor tournament, shot over the Vegas round: 30 arrows, three per end, at 20 yards, on a three-spot face.