Start A Program

NSDA membership is school based. To start a program, you need a coach to lead the team and the support of the school.
1. Find a coach
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- The majority of our coaches are English or Social Studies teachers. With our team’s support and New Coach Guide, anyone can coach speech and debate!
- Need a hand finding a coach? Create an account to post a position for free on our job board!
2. Get the school on board
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- Membership is school based but teams can be classroom based or after-school.
- Find the tools you need to persuade on our advocacy page.
- Share our info page for administrators with a decision maker.
3. Sign up yourself and your school!
4. Recruit students for the team and add their memberships to unlock benefits.
5. Explore our New Coach Guide for tips and support as you learn about events, attend your first tournament, enter points, and more.
6. Need help with any of the above? Contact us for support!


Membership Structure
Annual School MembershipHigh School: $149 Middle School: $75 |
Membership is good through July 31 of the school year for which you are renewing.


ACCESS LEVEL | MEMBER BENEFITS | COST | CYCLE | ||||
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STUDENT BENEFITS |
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MS: $10 HS: $20 |
One-time | ||||
COACH MEMBERSHIP |
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$20 | One-time |
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RESOURCE PACKAGE |
Enhance Your MembershipNSDA membership includes access to excellent training tools, competitive resources, and more. The Resource Package is a membership add-on for teams or individuals that offers the best speech and debate resources around all for one low price. The Resource Package provides coaches, educators, and students with valuable resources to improve their speech and debate skills, all curated by experts at the NSDA and successful educators across the country. Highlights include:
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$199 | ANNUAL |
Interested in learning about all of the benefits of NSDA membership? Find more information below!