Archery Shooters Association (ASA)

The ASA was established to give competitive 3D archery a dedicated organizational home in the U.S. Prior to organizations like ASA, 3D archery existed largely as an informal extension of bowhunting culture -- clubs ran their own shoots with their own rules, and there was no national competitive structure to speak of.

ASA built its identity around standardization:

• Consistent target placement protocols
• Proprietary 12-ring scoring system
• Defined equipment classes
• Enforceable safety standards including maximum arrow speed

That framework made it possible to run a meaningful national circuit where scores from one event could be compared to another, and where a shooter could travel from state to state and know what to expect on the range.

Evolution from informal 3D archery to organized national structure

The specific founding year is not prominently documented in ASA's public-facing materials, but the organization has been active long enough to build a federation of over 330 affiliated clubs across 37 states -- a footprint that reflects decades of organizational development, not a recent startup.

ASA's core purpose is promoting competitive 3D archery -- a discipline where shooters engage foam, life-sized animal targets set at unmarked distances in natural or simulated outdoor terrain. The format is deliberately hunting-adjacent. You're not shooting at a paper bullseye on a flat range; you're ranging a foam deer standing in a creek bed or a turkey on a hillside, then putting an arrow where it counts.

The organization serves two distinct audiences simultaneously. At the national level, it runs a structured Pro/Am circuit where professional archers compete alongside amateur partners, with results tracked on a national leaderboard. At the local level, the ASA Federation provides a framework for clubs to run their own competitions under standardized rules, giving recreational shooters a competitive structure without requiring them to travel to major events.

The dual structure -- national Pro/Am plus local Federation -- is what separates ASA from a simple event-promotion company. The Federation clubs are the pipeline.

Shooters get comfortable competing locally, develop skills, and the ones who get serious start showing up at national events.

3D Archery Format

Every ASA event, from a local Federation club shoot to a national Pro/Am, is built around the same fundamental format: foam animal targets at unmarked distances, scored using ASA's 12-ring system. The 12-ring rewards precision -- hitting the highest-value zone requires an accurate distance read and clean execution. Targets are positioned to simulate realistic shot opportunities, which keeps the format directly applicable to hunting skills.

The Pro/Am Circuit

The Pro/Am circuit is ASA's flagship competitive program. Professional archers compete at national events, and the format pairs them with amateur partners through a Team Shoot structure. The official team shoot -- branded as the "MATCH BOWSTRINGS Team Shoot" -- puts a professional alongside up to five amateur partners on a ten-target range.

That format gives amateurs a direct look at how top-tier archers approach the course, which has obvious developmental value beyond the competition itself.

Pro/Am results are tracked on ASA's national leaderboard and accessible through the ASA Archery Pro/Am App, which members use to follow scores, event schedules, and standings. An ASA number -- issued with membership -- is required to appear on the leaderboard.

The ASA Federation

The ASA Federation of Clubs is the grassroots arm of the organization. As of current reporting, it includes over 330 clubs across 37 states. Federation clubs operate under ASA's standardized competition rules, use ASA-compliant ranges, and follow ASA's dress, conduct, and safety standards. Clubs register through ASA and renew annually through the member portal.

Federation events include both regular club shoots and formal qualifiers that feed into state championships. The qualifier-to-championship pipeline gives Federation members a progression path -- you're not just shooting for fun at the local level, you're building a competitive record that can take you further if you want it to.

ASA competitive pathway from local clubs to national circuit

Membership Tiers

ASA membership is required to compete in any national event or appear on the national leaderboard. The current pricing structure is straightforward:

Core Benefits

What membership gets you:

The liability coverage is worth flagging. It's not something you'll think about until you need it, but it's a meaningful inclusion at $50/year and puts ASA membership in a different category than simply paying a range fee.

The non-member option -- $20 for one national event in a 40-yard class or under -- exists as a try-before-you-buy entry point. It's a reasonable policy. Let someone shoot one event, see what they think, and decide whether the full membership makes sense.

ASA's most concrete claim to recognition is its scale: building the largest 3D archery organization in the United States from what started as a niche, hunting-adjacent shooting discipline. A 330+ club network across 37 states represents a significant organizational achievement for any specialty sport, let alone one that doesn't have the mainstream visibility of Olympic target archery.

The 12-ring scoring system, while proprietary to ASA, has become the standard framework for competitive 3D archery in the U.S. -- a format other clubs and organizations reference even when they're not directly affiliated with ASA.

The Pro/Am structure itself is worth noting as a model. Pairing amateurs with professionals in a format where they're shooting the same course at the same time, rather than in separate flights, gives the circuit a character that pure amateur tournaments can't replicate.

National Leadership

ASA operates from its Kennesaw, Georgia headquarters. The organization is led by a president -- Michael Tyrell has been identified in trade publications as ASA's president -- and maintains the operational infrastructure to support both the national Pro/Am circuit and the Federation club network.

Federation Operations

The Federation operates with some autonomy at the club level. Individual clubs manage their own regular shoots, but operate under ASA's ruleset and must maintain current registration through ASA's member portal to remain affiliated. Qualifier and championship dates are coordinated centrally, giving the Federation a coherent competitive calendar rather than a loose collection of independent club events.

ASA maintains a sponsor program that supports the national circuit. The MATCH BOWSTRINGS Team Shoot naming is one example of title sponsorship at the event level -- a standard structure for professional archery competitions.

ASA operates in the same general space as the National Field Archery Association (NFAA), which also runs field and 3D archery competitions in the U.S. The two organizations are not affiliated, and membership in one does not substitute for the other. NFAA has its own competitive structure, equipment classes, and ruleset -- archers who want to compete in both circuits need separate memberships.

At the international level, World Archery is the governing body for Olympic-style target archery and maintains its own competitive framework. ASA's 3D format and World Archery's Olympic disciplines exist in largely separate competitive ecosystems -- different equipment classes, different scoring systems, different course formats. Competitive overlap is minimal.

For retail archery businesses, ASA clubs represent a concentrated customer base. Archery Trade Association (ATA) publications have noted ASA club members as among the most active equipment buyers in the sport -- which explains why ASA maintains a sponsor program and why manufacturers pay attention to what ASA competitors are shooting.

ASA is worth joining if you're going to shoot 3D archery with any regularity. At $50/year for an individual, the math is simple: one national event entry more than justifies the membership versus paying the non-member fee and losing access to the full leaderboard and state championships.

At $50/year for an individual, the math is simple: one national event entry more than justifies the membership versus paying the non-member fee.

The liability coverage alone is worth something -- range accidents happen, and having that coverage built into your membership is a benefit most shooters don't think about until they do.

The Federation club network is genuinely useful. If you have a club within reasonable driving distance that runs regular ASA-affiliated shoots, that's where the membership pays off in real terms. You get standardized rules, a scoring system that means something outside your home range, and a path to state competition if you want it. The national Pro/Am circuit is aspirational for most members -- it's there if you develop, and the Team Shoot format means amateurs actually get to participate alongside professionals rather than just watching.

Where ASA is less compelling: if you only shoot 3D casually a few times a year at a local club that isn't Federation-affiliated, the national membership adds less obvious value. Check whether clubs in your area are actually Federation members before assuming ASA membership gets you anything locally.

The organization has room to grow its footprint -- 37 states means 13 states with no ASA Federation club presence, which is a real gap. And like most niche sports organizations, ASA's public communication and digital presence could be sharper. Finding clear historical information about the organization requires digging.

Who benefits most from ASA membership: competitive 3D shooters who travel to multiple events per year, hunters who use the competitive circuit to sharpen their shooting during the off-season, and club organizers who want the credibility and structure of Federation affiliation. Casual backyard shooters or pure bowhunters who never compete can skip it without missing much.

• ASA Archery official website: https://asaarchery.com
• ASA Membership page: https://asaarchery.com/asa-membership/
• ASA Federation Clubs: https://asaarchery.com/federation-clubs/
• ASA Club Registration: https://asaarchery.com/federation-clubs/club-registration/
• ASA Pro/Am Events: https://asaarchery.com/pro-am/
• Archery Trade Association, retailer guidance on club involvement: https://archerytrade.org/retailers-get-involved-with-clubs-and-tournaments/
• 60X Custom Strings, ASA overview: https://www.60xcustomstrings.com/blog/asa-archery-a-guide-to-the-archery-shooters-association/

Last Updated: February 24, 2026