What is AAU basketball?
AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball consists of independently organized and run basketball clubs like Jets Basketball Elite - a Virginia AAU basketball club located in Fairfax County, Virginia.
An AAU basketball club could consist of one team or multiple teams, both are exactly the same. Most clubs are non-profit and independent, like Jets Basketball Elite. The cost to operate a team or club is fully funded by the families that participate.
Clubs initially pay a setup (renewed annually) fee to AAU directly, and pay other related fees to operate based on need for services. There are three levels of clubs offered by the AAU, Jets Basketball Elite is a level three club.
AAU basketball clubs are organized to develop basketball skills, bring player together to play at a high competitive level and compete at tournament, leagues, events, etc. These events are organized independently or are sanctioned by the district, regional or national organizations.
This text is directly from the AAU wiki, see more by clicking here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAU_basketball
"The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs."
"The AAU was founded in 1888 by William Buckingham Curtis to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sport.[1] During its early years the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the United States in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games."
"After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 broke up the AAU's responsibility as the national Olympic sports governing body, the AAU focused on providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the local and regional levels. The philosophy of the AAU is "Sports for All, Forever." The AAU is divided into 56 distinct Districts, which annually sanction 34 sports programs, 250 national championships, and over 30,000 age division events. The AAU events have over 500,000 participants and over 50,000 volunteers."
"Programs offered by the AAU include: AAU Sports Program, AAU Junior Olympic Games, AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award and the AAU Complete Athlete Program. In addition, the President's Challenge program is administered on behalf of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The AAU has 33 national committees to organize its activities in particular sports.[2]"
"In 1994, the AAU joined forces with the Walt Disney World Resort, signing a 30-year agreement. As part of that agreement, many of AAU's national championships in many sports are played at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.[3] In 1996, the AAU relocated its national headquarters to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, adjacent to Disney World. More than 40 AAU national events are conducted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The ESPN Wide World of Sports features a double-deck 7,500—seat baseball stadium and baseball quadraplex, a fieldhouse that accommodates up to six hardwood courts, a softball quadraplex, two youth baseball fields, a track and field complex, and four multi-purpose performance fields sized for soccer tournaments.
AAU operates under a 501(c)(3) tax-exemption letter granted by the federal government in 1996."