May 04, 2024 - Jun 30, 2024

NFAA Outdoor Sectional Championships 2024

The NFAA Outdoor Sectional Championships takes place across all eight sections of the country: Southwest, Southern, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Great Lakes, Midwest, and Northwest. Archers compete against others in their section to become the Sectional Champion!

find sectional dates and locations near you

All NFAA divisions are eligible to participate. Participants must be a NFAA member in good standing and can register in up to three shooting styles within the same age division. Registration is required online through Sport:80. Onsite registration may not be available.

The Early Registration Deadline is three calendar days prior to each event. A $15 late registration fee applies after this deadline.

To be eligible for sectional awards, archers must hold a NFAA state membership within the section which they are competing. If competing in a section that does not include the state through which their NFAA membership is held, archers may compete in the Guest division. Archers may only register and compete at ONE location for the Sectional Championships unless the registrations are in the same age division.

click to view sections and corresponding states

Pro Divisions

$105 early registration ($120 after early registration deadline)

Professional Adult Freestyle (18+ years)
Professional Senior Freestyle (50+ years)
Professional Silver Senior Freestyle (60+ years)
Professional Master Senior Freestyle (70+ years)

Adult & Senior Divisions

$55 early registration ($70 after early registration deadline)

Adult (18+ years)
Senior (50+ years)
Silver Senior (60+ years)
Master Senior (70+ years)

Barebow
Barebow Recurve
Bowhunter Freestyle
Freestyle
Freestyle Limited
Freestyle Limited Recurve
Traditional
Longbow (Adult Division Only)
Crossbow (Adult Division Only)

Junior Divisions

$45 early registration ($60 after early registration deadline)

Cub (11 years and under)
Youth (12-14 years)
Young Adult (15-17 years)

Barebow
Barebow Recurve
Bowhunter Freestyle
Freestyle
Freestyle Limited Recurve

PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP
All archers must have proof of NFAA membership at the tournament site. All memberships are subject to verification at any time during the tournament.

LOCATION TRANSFER POLICY
Each registrant is responsible for re-registering for the sectional location to which he/she is transferring. Refunds will be issued for the original registration less 4% for credit card processing fees after the archer notifies info@nfaausa.com that re-registration has been completed. The refund request must be received prior to the Early Registration Deadline of the original event. Late registration fees will apply if the re-registration takes place after the event's Early Registration Deadline.

CANCELLATION POLICY
All cancellation requests must be received in writing to info@nfaausa.com prior to the event's Early Registration Deadline. All cancellations will be charged a $15 administration fee. After the Early Registration Deadline, no refunds will be issued due to scheduling conflicts, illness, or other personal issues.

sectional round format

The round formats vary across sections. When more than one 14-target round is completed, targets #1-14 for each the field, hunter, and animal rounds will count toward the archer’s national ranking. If an archer chooses to compete at more than one location within his/her section, the first score will count toward sectional ranking.

Midwest: 14 Field / 28 Hunter / 14 Animal
Great Lakes: 28 Field / 14 Hunter / 14 Animal
Northwest: 28 Field / 28 Hunter / 14 Animal
Southwest: 28 Field / 28 Hunter / 28 Animal
Southeast: 14 Field / 14 Hunter / 14 Animal
Southern: 28 Field / 14 Hunter / 14 Animal
Mid-Atlantic: 28 Field / 28 Hunter / 14 Animal
New England: 28 Field / 28 Hunter / 14 Animal

tournament rules

All participants must adhere to NFAA competition rules. The rules printed in this document are not the complete rules established by the NFAA, they are condensed by necessity. They are not to be considered final; there could be other rules that may apply to your situation. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the NFAA rules of competition.

Rules for Field/Hunter/Animal Rounds can be found in the NFAA By-Laws, Article VI, Sections A-C.

Click to view F/H/A Rules

general rules

You, the archer, are responsible for your equipment to comply with NFAA rules and to verify you are in the correct Division and Style of Shooting prior to the beginning of competition. If you are registered in the wrong division or style, this must be corrected prior to shooting your first arrow for score.
Archers may register in ONE division and up to THREE shooting styles. A registration fee applies for each shooting style.
The Pro Division Dress Code applies to all NFAA Pro Sanctioned Events, including Sectional Championships.
An archer’s age will be determined by their actual birth date and their physical age as of the first day of the originally scheduled competition.

safety

Make sure all your equipment is in safe working order, you are responsible for the damage your equipment may cause should a “malfunction”occur.
Never exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation matching arrow spine to bow weight.
No archer shall draw a bow in any manner that if accidentally released could fly beyond a safety zone or a safety arrangement over shoot area, backstop, etc. A warning will be given on the first instance. Second instance will require removal of archer from event.
Always be sure no one or nothing is in your line of “fire” when releasing an arrow, remember you are ultimately responsible for the destination of your arrow.

equipment

It is your responsibility to know if your equipment is legal for NFAA competition. Simply because your equipment was “legal” in your state or club competition does not necessarily mean it is legal as described by NFAA rules of competition. Ask a tournament official if you are unsure about the legality of your equipment. If, at any time, it is deemed your equipment is not meeting NFAA equipment standards, you will be disqualified.

Maximum Peak Bow Weight allowed in NFAA Competition is 80 pounds, maximum speed of 300 FPS with a variance of 3%.

shooting rules for field - hunter - animal rounds

Archers shoot in groups of not less than 3 or more than 6; 4 to be the preferred number. No group of less than 3 shall turn in an official score.
By mutual agreement each group of archers shall decide which two shall shoot from which side of the shooting stake. On targets 1 and 15, the archers shall change their order of shooting. Those who shot first shall shoot last and those who shot last shall shoot first. Those archers who had been shooting from the right side shall shoot from the left side and those who had been shooting from the left side shall shoot from the right side. If you shot bottom targets you will switch to the top and if you shot top you will switch to the bottom. Example: The archers beginning on target #8 will maintain their shooting position through target #14. On target #15, they will change shooting positions and continue through #28. At target #1 the archers will resume their original positions and finish the course through target #7.
The archer must straddle an imaginary shooting line, which is marked by the distance stake and parallel to the target face, while shooting the required arrows. No archer may advance to the target until all arrows have been shot by the group, except for yardages that are 32 yards or less and when there are more than four archers in a group on 35cm targets or smaller.
When shooting at butts with multiple target faces, the first 2 archers will shoot the bottom target faces. When target faces are placed side by side (i.e. 50 cm) the archer on the left will shoot the left target face; the archer on the right will shoot the right target face. On fan positions the same applies, except each archer will shoot one arrow from each position, two arrows at each target. Any arrow striking the wrong target shall be considered a miss and may not be re-shot. 20 cm targets will be shot vertically. The shooter may elect to shoot top to bottom in order or bottom to top in order. Each archer must choose one column of four target faces on his or her side of the shooting stakes. An archer must not shoot at a column that has already been shot by another archer.
Two or more archers shall shoot at the same time to prevent delays. One group shall not hold up the following groups for any reason including looking for lost arrows. Enough arrows shall be carried so that each archer may continue shooting, and return later to find any missing arrows. If there are one or more open targets in front and two or more groups back up, the delaying group shall allow the backed up groups to shoot through.
Archers may not practice on any course to be used for tournament competition later the same day, however, the first target of each day’s competition will be used as practice at the discretion of the tournament chairman. This will be determined and announced prior to each day’s round. Practice arrows shall not be counted as score. The maximum number of practice arrows allowable will be determined by the round being shot.
An archer leaving the range for any reason other than an emergency or an equipment failure may be privileged to return to his/her group and complete unfinished round or subsequent rounds. He/She will not be privileged to make up any missed targets in the interim. If deemed an emergency, or an equipment failure, then in the presence of the tournament official he/she will be allowed to shoot and score missed targets.
In the case of an equipment failure, the archer may have the needed time, as granted by a tournament official, for equipment repair or replacement and may shoot arrows required to assure that the proper sight settings are accurate, within the 45 minute maximum time limit. Then, in the presence of the tournament official, be allowed to shoot and score the targets missed. This occurrence of repair or replacement is allowed only once in any tournament day.
In case of inclement weather, the tournament shall continue unless the range has becomes unsafe as determined by the Tournament Chairman or appointed Tournament Officials. A pre-determined signal will be sounded to halt competition. An archer leaving the range without approval shall be subject to rule #7 above.
No alcoholic beverages may be carried or consumed on any range or practice area during shooting hours at National or Sectional tournaments. Anyone caught breaking this rule will be immediately disqualified and not be allowed to complete the tournament.
Tripods for spotting scopes and/or binoculars shall not be permitted.
A (3) three-letdown rule will be applied per arrow. A fourth letdown will be counted as a shot arrow. There will be a shooting time limit. Your scorecard must be turned in by the announced deadline for that day’s score to be recorded.
The targets must be shot in numerical sequence. Archers are not allowed to intentionally skip a target(s) and return later to shoot and score the skipped target(s). An intentionally skipped target(s) may not be re-shot and shall be scored as a zero.
Archers must complete the prescribed number of targets for the tournament to be eligible for an award. No award can be won with an incomplete score, except in the case of emergency.
For all sectional and national tournaments: Longbow, Traditional, and Barebow Recurve archers shoot from the stakes that correspond with their age division.

protests

A protest committee shall be assigned at each sectional site, consisting of three NFAA members, one of which shall be a Councilman, or Director or Director designee. In the case of multiple sectional sites, the ruling shall be forwarded to the Sectional Councilman if not present at the site.
Any individual wishing to file a protest against another archer must inform that individual in the presence of a tournament official that a protest will be filed. Both individuals have the right to be present during the meeting of the protest committee.
All protests must be in writing and turned in to the Tournament Chairman within one hour after the finish of the shooting line on which the alleged offense occurred. The protest must be accompanied by $50 cash, which will be refunded if the protest is upheld.

scoring rules

field round

Each archer shall shoot 4 arrows at each of the 14-target layouts in a unit. In 10 cases this shall mean shooting the four arrows from a single stake at a single target. In the other four it may mean either shooting one arrow from each of four stakes at a single target or it may mean shooting all four arrows from a single stake but at four separate targets, or one arrow from each of four stakes at either two (2) or four (4) targets.
The scoring is 5 points for the spot, 4 for two white circles and 3 outside black rings.
In all Professional Divisions, scoring is 1 bonus point for the X (total 6), 5 points for the spot, 4 for the two white rings, and 3 points for the outside black rings. Archers will track X’s in a separate column, i.e., 20 with 3X which will carry over to a final column and would be totaled as 23.

hunter round

Each archer shall shoot 4 arrows at each of the 14-target layouts in a unit. When one stake is present, shoot all four arrows from the same stake. When two stakes are present, shoot two arrows from each stake. When four stakes are present, shoot one arrow from each stake. Any arrow shot from the wrong stake will be scored as a "0" (zero).
The scoring is 5 points for the spot, 4 for center ring, and 3 for the outer ring.
In all Professional Divisions, scoring is 1 bonus point for the X (total 6), 5 points for the spot, 4 for center ring, and 3 for the outer rings. Archers will track X’s in a separate column, i.e., 20 with 3X which will carry over to a final column and would be totaled as 23.

animal round

A maximum of three marked arrows may be shot, in successive order, and the highest scoring arrow will count. In the case of walk-up targets the first arrow must be shot from the farthest stake, the second arrow from the middle stake, and the third arrow from the nearest stake, in order to be scored. No archer shall advance to the target and then return to the stake to shoot again in the event of a missed arrow.
Arrow values should be 21, 20 or 18 for the first arrow, 17, 16 or 14 for the second arrow, and 13, 12 or 10 for the third arrow.
A bonus dot (valued one additional point) is located in the middle of the high scoring area and colored white on dark targets and black on light targets. An arrow shaft must touch the bonus dot to be counted in the next higher value. Arrows touching the orientation line will not count for the higher value.

general scoring

The target group will select a score caller, two scorekeepers, and a target captain. The target captain shall be the judge of disputed arrows on his/her target. When a captains arrows are in question, the majority of the group shall decide the status of Target Captains arrows. When a line judge has been appointed by the tournament director and an appeal is made to the line judge, the line judge’s call will be final.
Off-ground skids or glances into the target shall not be counted. Arrows striking objects over the shooting lane may be re-shot.
Arrows passing through the face, but still in the butt, may be pushed back and scored as hits in the circles through which they passed. Any arrows deflected by a foreign object or miss fired will be scored where it lies. Any arrow embedded in the nock of another arrow (generally known as a “Robin Hood”) will be scored the same as the arrow it struck and skewered.
Arrows believed to have passed through the target may be re-shot with marked arrows, which will not be scored if the doubtful arrows are found in the butt.
Unsuspected pass through: In any instance where arrows are found to have obviously passed through in such a manner they cannot be properly scored and their location and the condition of the butt convince the target captain that the arrows did indeed pass through a scoring area, the archer may return and re-shoot from the obvious distances or furthest distances involved.
Witnessed bounce outs, believed to have hit the target in the scoring area, will be re-shot.
An archer who shoots arrows in excess of the prescribed number shall lose the arrow or arrows of higher value. A penalty of one point will be assessed for each arrow shot over the prescribed number.
Any arrow(s) shot from other than a pre-designated position in the designated order shall be scored as “0” (zero).
A dropped arrow is one which falls while being transferred from the quiver to be nocked on the string or in preparation for a shot or which falls from the string during a controlled letdown. A dropped arrow may be re-shot.
An arrow cutting two rings shall be scored in the ring of greater value. Scoring is determined by the position of the shaft. In all NFAA Rounds, an arrow shaft need only touch the line to be counted in the area of next higher value.
In the event the scoring ring has become distorted due to torn or missing paper, the scorer shall visually reconstruct the natural arc of the scoring ring to determine the value of the arrow(s).
Archers shall record the values of each arrow in each scoring box before touching or drawing any arrows from the target. No archer may touch the target face before all arrows are scored.
Scorecards must be signed as correct by the scorekeeper and the archer. Once submitted, a scorecard cannot be retrieved for purposes of changing totals. An archer who has signed and submitted a scorecard as correct which has incorrect total(s) may be disqualified.
Double scoring will be used for all paper scorecards. Ideally, there should be one colored version and one white version. Two archers are designated as paper scorekeepers on each target bale. One scorekeeper will complete all of the colored scorecards and the other scorekeeper will complete all of the white scorecards.
Scorecards should be turned in to the tournament host within 30 minutes of the end of the assigned round. All scoring on the official scorecards must be completed in INK. Any changes on the official scorecard must be agreed upon and initialed by all archers in the scoring group. Any archer turning in an incorrect scorecard will be subject to disqualification.
Ties in non-Professional divisions will be broken by X-count. Ties in all Professional divisions will be broken by the total number of 6-rings.

electronic scoring rules

Electronic scoring will be utilized for all sectional archers and is considered an official form of scoring. Failure to input an electronic score may result in disqualification of that day’s scores.
All electronic scores are considered unofficial until they are verified by NFAA staff against the Official Colored Scorecard.
Each official scorecard has a unique QR code to be scanned with the scoring app. Once scanned, the app brings up the electronic scorecard for all archers on the target. Archers on the same target may use the same device with one person designated to record the electronic scores.
Scoring groups can input their electronic scores during or immediately following the round.
Internet connection or cellular date service is only required when scanning the QR code and at the end of the competition to upload scores. Service is not required during the scoring input.
In the event that a scoring group does not have a device or if Wi-Fi or cellular data service is not available onsite, it is the archer’s responsibility to input their electronic score offsite no later than the Monday following their event weekend. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of that day's scores.

Click for electronic scoring instructions and to download the Ianseo Scorekeeper NG app

OUTDOOR SECTIONAL RESULTS

Full, live results will be available in real time.
Please note, while results are LIVE, they may be inaccurate or incomplete as archers may submit online scores after the competition has concluded. Headquarters staff will validate all paper scorecards within 10 days from the event concluding.

View Results on the NFAA Ianseo App

host requirements

Sectional hosts are required to complete the Outdoor Sectional Host Contract. Each host will be approved by the respective sectional Councilman. Hosts must have a current NFAA club charter or shop license AND a valid NFAA Field Range Certificate through the duration of their event. Registration will open for each event upon approval of the Host Contract and validation of the host's charter/license and Field Range Certificate.

Click to Complete Outdoor Sectional Host Contract

promotion

Hosts can download this fillable flyer to advertise their NFAA Outdoor Sectional Championships event.

download fillable flyer

Scoring

NEW FOR 2024! Electronic scoring will be used at all sectional locations for live scoring. Detailed instructions for electronic scoring will be sent to each host prior to their event. Official scorecards will be emailed to the host prior to the event. The host is responsible for printing the scorecards and returning them to NFAA Headquarters either by mail or e-mail no later than 3 days after the completion of their event. Hosts, Directors, and Councilmen are NOT required to submit cumulative scoring reports from their section. Archer standings will be updated in realtime, and final results will be posted upon validation of the paper scorecards with the electronic scorecards.

targets

Each host is responsible for purchasing target faces. Hosts will be reimbursed $1 per archer registered at their location to assist in covering target expenses. Reimbursement will be provided on the proceeds check to be mailed following completion of the event.

Purchase NFAA Field/Hunter/Animal Targets

Archers can reserve discounted hotel accommodations through the NFAA's partnership with Lucid Travel. Click the link below to find your event. Sectional locations will be added as they are approved.

reserve discounted hotel accommodations

Interested to see how your score ranks against others from around the country? Check back here for a link when rankings become available!