What Does AAU Stand For?

AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union and was formed January 21, 1888.  Since 1978, it has focused on on youth athletes.  A great resource for the question What Does AAU Stand For can be found by clicking here.  When someone talks about AAU Basketball, they are referring to - Non-scholastic basketball, or "club" basketball.  However, there are many clubs, event operators and players who are playing travel basketball now, that are not under AAU umbrella or officially registered under its national governing body.

What Does AAU Basketball Stand For?

AAU Boys Basketball was established to bring youth basketball clubs to a higher level. AAU Basketball short for the Amateur Athletic Union Basketball, is one of the largest non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. They operate independently from all other local and nationwide leagues. You may be familiar with the terminology of “club basketball” or “grassroots basketball,” these terms are used interchangeably, but are usually referring to AAU. After contacting your local club (see online “Find a club”), they will provide all the information regarding tryouts, tournaments and rankings for the season. Just like above for other sports, not all local teams are AAU certified and there is typically no governing body.  Youth Basketball Tournaments sometimes can be under other sanctions.  Another example is USSSA.  This is why it is important to be organized; anyone can start an AAU team or club team. Upon registration with the AAU you will receive a membership card to validate your participation. You can choose to sign your child up before or after you find a local club, if one doesn’t exist you can even create your own.

You can see a list of events that could be considered AAU Basketball Tournaments in our directory.  Click there now.

Nationwide Competition

You can find all the information regarding nationwide events on AAU's website.  The largest AAU events occur during the NCCA live periods of April and July where NCAA coaches are allowed to scout the players. Many youth players have come through the AAU system and have been chosen to represent the USA collegiate team and USA men’s basketball team.

So there you have it, now you know the answer to What Does AAU stand for?  You also know a little bit about the history.