FAQs

Each membership option is geared towards a different type of esports professional. Here is a quick summary for why you should consider each tier:

Basic Membership: This tier is for any esports professional who does NOT plan on attending the National Convention, but wants to get certified, be connected in the industry, earn professional development online, and support the association.

All-Access Membership: This tier is for any esports professional who wants the value of a NAECAD membership and also plans on attending the National Convention. 

Program License: This tier is specifically for high schools and colleges with multiple staff or coaches (full time, part time, volunteer). Everyone in this tier can take all certifications and courses and it comes with 2 national convention tickets.

Organization License: This tier is for any school district, college, conference, or league that has more than 5 staff members who need to get certified or receive professional development. This tier allows you to purchase a custom number of basic memberships (access to all certifications and content) and national convention tickets all at once.

NAECAD will automatically email you an access code for any event that you are eligible to receive a free ticket for. 

The NAECAD Mentor Program is a brand new program that we have developed. We have found that mentorship and connecting with peers are the number one ways to prevent burnout, overwork, and decline in mental health. Our vision is to ensure that every esports coach, director, and staff member has a support network they can lean on. 

For the 2025-26 year, we are piloting the program with a cohort of 10 college coaches (appliations are closed for 2025-26). We plan to launch the mentor program on a larger scale in the Fall of 2026.

 You must be at least a Basic Member to enroll in the Mentor Program.

Our Discord offers a variety of benefits, including:

• Connecting with other members
• Event and membership updates

We are always working on adding new and exciting events to our Discord. If you have additional ideas, please let us know!

Every year NAECAD offers awards for:

• High School Coach of the Year
• High School Director of the Year
• College Coach of the Year
• College Director of the Year
• Rising Star
• Outstanding Leadership
• Outstanding Commitment

Group memberships are designed for schools, programs, and organizations that have multiple staff members. The person in charge of your program is then able to manage from their membership profile who to assign the extra accounts to.