Communication with district coaches can be initiated through the TSSAA Portal by clicking on the following tabs:

Sports > Memberships > Members

Here you will find email distribution lists for all district athletic directors and head coaches. You will also find a no-cost conference call line with an access code that is unique for your district.

  1. Division I Tournament Site - Selection of the tournament site, financial arrangements, and other plans for conducting the district tournaments shall be made or approved by the Principals and/or Athletic Directors of the schools in the district. This meeting shall be called by the district coordinator. In selecting the site of the district tournament, consideration should be given to the facility that is in the best interest of the schools involved, the participants, and spectators. In order to be considered as a district tournament site, the facility must meet the following minimum seating criteria: Class 1A – 1,000; Class 2A - 1,000; Class 3A – 1,250; Class 4A – 1,500. These are to be permanent seats and based on 18” width.
    1. If a school that does not meet the minimum seating requirement is scheduled to host, the administration may select a larger facility in their area that meets the minimum requirement and inform the state office as to where the contest will be played.
    2. If a school that is chosen to host a tournament game does not have the gym that satisfies the seating minimum, the Principal of that school may seek a waiver of the seating requirement from the Executive Director, and the waiver will be granted if the Principal establishes that waiving the seating requirement will not give rise to any substantial safety concerns.
  2. Division II Tournament Site - Selection of the tournament site, financial arrangements, and other plans for conducting the district tournaments shall be made or approved by the Principals and/or Athletic Directors of the schools in the district.
  3. Tournament Director - The director of the district tournament shall be designated by the administrator of the host school.
  4. Tournament Draw - The tournament draw is based on seeding criteria established by the district. (NOTE: In Division I, in the event the majority of the schools in a district vote not to hold a district tournament, the Board of Control may select schools to represent that particular district in the regional tournament.)
  5. Tournament Schedule - Set schedule and times for all games, if not already done. On nights where school is in session the next day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), there may be no more than two games played per night per site. Notify the assigning officer of the local association of the district tournament schedule, times and sites as soon as possible. The tournament must be completed by the dates outlined in the TSSAA Calendar.
  6. Tickets / Price of Admission - Ticket prices for the tournament should be agreed upon by the schools. They are not set by TSSAA. The host schools are encouraged to use GoFan to sell advance tickets, but the games need to be set up on GoFan by the host schools through GoFan HQ. Otherwise, arrangements for tickets should be made by the host schools.
  7. Tournament Passes - The host school(s) along with the teams in the district should agree on the passes that will be accepted at the gate, as well as the number of passes that will be honored for players and staff of participating teams. TSSAA ID cards are allowed to be accepted as passes and admit one person only. The card holder MUST be in possession of the physical card. Photos of TSSAA ID cards cannot be accepted. The Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association (TACA) card will provide complimentary admittance for one person per card.
  8. Game Officials - The host school will contact their official's association for officials. Game officials shall be paid $85 per game plus mileage at $0.30 per mile per official round trip. Three-person crews will be assigned to all district games and all fees are single game fees.
  9. Game Administrator's Meeting - The TSSAA Board of Control has designated that prior to any varsity contest in the sport of basketball, the game administrator is required to conduct a pre-game meeting with game officials, both head coaches, and security. The game administrator shall be present and visible for the duration of the game.
  10. Mercy Rule - In the fourth quarter, there is a mandated continuous clock when one team gets a 35 point advantage over their opponent. The clock would only stop for shooting fouls, timeouts, injuries, and the administration of technical fouls. The clock will continue to run for the remainder of the game, regardless of the point differential.
  11. Financial Arrangements - Concession revenue shall go to the host school unless otherwise agreed upon by the administration of schools in the district. All expenses in the district tournament must be approved by a majority vote of the schools in the district prior to the beginning of the tournament. If a tournament administration fee is to be paid, the amount must be approved by a majority vote of the schools in the district prior to the beginning of the tournament and shall not exceed $25.00 per game. TSSAA shall receive 18% of the gross gate receipts. Postseason financial forms must now be completed through the TSSAA Portal. All checks for district, regional, and sectional tournaments and playoffs must be distributed within 10 business days of the completion of the tournament or game. Failure to do so will result in a $100.00 late fee to be paid to TSSAA and is to be used in the A.F. Bridges sportsmanship program to go to schools or students receiving awards. Failure to distribute funds within 20 business days will result in an additional $200 late fee (total $300.00). Failure to distribute funds within 40 business days will result in an additional $200.00 late fee (total $500.00). The school may not host any tournament or playoff until the principal or athletic director appears before the Board of Control to explain their reasons for not distributing the checks within the required time frame. The Board would then determine whether the school can host tournaments or playoffs in the future.
  12. Video / Videostream / Radio - All taping or filming by a school must be approved by the local Game Director, and the Game Director shall assign space, when available, for the school to tape or film. Rules governing videostreaming or other broadcast of a postseason contest are found in the TSSAA Media Regulations.
  13. Tournament Awards - TSSAA provides a district championship plaque and a district runner-up plaque (If your district would like to present third and/or fourth place plaques, then the tournament director will need to contact A&M Products at (815) 875-2667. You may be asked to provide a purchase order number when ordering.). If you have not received your championship and runner-up plaques by February 17, please contact Shonnie Speicher (tssaa@tssaa.org).
  14. Submitting Results - In Division I there shall be two districts in each region. The first, second, third, and fourth place teams from each district shall advance to the regional tournament. Therefore, upon completion of the district tournament, please email your district champion, runner-up, third place, and fourth place to: tssaa@tssaa.org.
  15. Region Tournament Guidelines - Information for teams that advance to the Region Tournament, can be found here.