Membership Information

Requirements for membership

There shall be four (4) classes of membership, and no individual shall be eligible for more than one class of membership at a time. Annual membership fees for all classes of membership are due May 31st of the current year. A twenty dollar late fee will be assessed to all dues payments postmarked after June 30th. Membership will be suspended August 31st (90 days) for non payment. The classes of membership are:

a)     Active - Any Person who is actively engaged in the management and handling of athletic, physical education and recreational equipment as a means of earning a living. Fee: $100.00 ($90.00 goes to the National Fund, $10.00 to District Fund)

b)   Student -   Any full time high school, college or University student that has not earned at least a Bachelor’s degree and interested in the management of athletic, physical education and recreational equipment. Fee: $25.00 ($20.00 goes to the National Fund, $5.00 to District Fund

c) Associate - Any person who is actively engaged in a non paid Athletic Equipment Management job. Or a person who is between Athletic Equipment Management jobs , unless member is maintaining certification.
Fee $100.00 ($90.00 goes to the National Fund, $10.00 to District Fund) Must be a non vendor or Solicitor of Athletic Equipment.

d)   Retired - Any active member of AEMA, who retires from active employment in the management and handling of athletic, physical education and recreational equipment may receive retirement status through the Association. A certified retired member must request emeritus status from the certification committee to maintain their certification level. Fee: None

Professional Certification for Athletic Equipment Managers

The Athletic Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) began a professional certification program in 1991 and administered its first certification exam the following year. At present the AEMA has in excess of 600 certified equipment managers in the United States and Canada. As the benefits of our professional certification are realized, by the athletic community the number of certified equipment managers is increasing rapidly.

Certification presents a twofold challenge for the AEMA. The first challenge is to establish an educational program and testing system that assure certified equipment managers meet a minimum level of proficiency in our profession. The second is to establishes a continuing education system that promotes professional improvement.

In the beginning, membership surveys were used to decide what our membership expected from a professional certification program. To build validity into the certification program the AEMA contracted with the Columbia Assessment Services (CAS) now called CASTLE to establish a certification program. CASTLE was chosen because of their proven work in the athletic field with groups like the National Athletic Trainers Association.

CASTLE did a role delineation study to find out what athletic equipment do as a group. The role delineation broke our profession down into six areas where the equipment manager must be proficient. These areas are Purchasing; Fitting Equipment and Clothing; Maintenance: Administration and Organization: Management, Professional Relations and Education: and Accountability for Equipment. In the attempt to keep our role delineation current a committee of Equipment Managers met again with CASTLE to rewrite the role delineation. This new delineation is very close to the old one. The role delineation is the keystone to our certification program. It identifies who we are, what we do and how long we spend doing it. The certification test is based on the role delineation with the amount of questions reflecting the percentages of time we spend in each area. CASTLE oversees the entire process, producing the examination from the information we provide them. They grade the test and constantly update the examination using established norms for certification testing. The AEMA is currently in the process of writing a new certification Manual to go with the new role delineation.

Continuing Education after Certification

Each Certified member must earn 6.0 CEU’s (Continuing Education Units) every three years to maintain certification. This represents 60 contact hours spent in educational activities during this period. Continuing education demands that certified AEMA members become involved in a continuous improvement process.

The AEMA has several education projects that help our membership prepare for the examination and assist in continuing education efforts after certification is gained.

These projects include but are not limited to:

Convention Workshops: The AEMA annual convention has 3 consecutive days of education workshops taken from the role delineation to offer the membership.
Resource Center:
Located at the National Office at:
460 Hunt Hill Road
Freeville, NY 13068

the Resource Center is the repository for information related to our profession. AEMA Journals, Articles, and DVD’s are cataloged and stored there. The AEMA professionally records all workshops at its conventions. These DVD’s are available to the membership for a fee of $15.00 each. Articles, and AEMA Journal copies are also available for a fee of $5.00 per periodical.
Certification Manual: The manual contain research articles on topics identified by the role delineation. The manual serves as a study guide for equipment managers preparing for the exam, and a desk reference for certified members.
AEMA Journal: The Journal is a yearly publication containing articles for areas of the role delineation. The expansion of knowledge increases the base of information available to the examination and to continuing education.

Certification is not a form of unionization. Certification is a structured system to improve the profession. We are confident that recognition will be earned through a higher degree of job efficiency.