Amateur Athletic Union of the United States

Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU), national nonprofit organization founded in 1888 and comprising 58 associations and thousands of volunteers interested in fostering amateur sports and physical fitness. The AAU defines an amateur athlete as “one who engages in sport for pleasure . . . and to whom sport is nothing more than an avocation.” Today, the AAU focuses on providing developmental and participatory programs to all Americans. The organization has 305,000 registered athletes and 8000 registered clubs.

The AAU administers the AAU Youth Sports Program, a nationwide athletic program open to all girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 19. Competition is offered in 32 sports. Divisions include aerobics, baseball, basketball, Chinese martial arts, cross-country running, decathlon, field hockey, gymnastics, heptathlon, judo, soccer, softball, surfing, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, track and field, trampoline and tumbling, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling.

Each year the AAU gives physical fitness tests to millions of American students between 6 and 17 years of age, in order to develop a fitness profile of American youth. For adults, the AAU maintains the Adult Sports and Fitness Program. The AAU annually presents its AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award to the outstanding amateur athlete in the country. National AAU headquarters is in Orlando, Florida.

Reviewed by: Amateur Athletic Union of the United States