Media Credentials

Effective immediately, all requests for credentials to cover NCHSAA Championships will be handled through DragonFly. Due to the background check requirement, the window to request credentials will close much earlier than has been provided previously. If the possibility exists that a school you cover may advance in seasonal playoffs, consider creating your Dragonfly account and requesting a media credential sooner than later.

The NCHSAA Board of Directors passed a policy in winter 2022 requiring all media to have passed a background check in the past year to be approved for NCHSAA Media Credential Requests. This includes Single-Event Championship Credentials. Any media representative who applied for and was granted an NCHSAA Year-Long Credential (available as a digital card on your DragonFly Account) in Fall 2022 has been grandfathered for the remainder of the 2022-2023 academic year. These individuals do not need to complete/pay for a background check through DragonFly in the 2022-2023 year. 

Credential requests made after January 1, 2023, must include a background check before approval can be granted for any Year-Long or Single-Event Credentials.

To request a Single-Event Credential, go to DragonFlyMax.com and follow the steps in this flyer to register for a DragonFly Account to manage your credential requests. 

• Select “Other School Role” when you are asked which role best describes you. 
• Find North Carolina and select that as your state.
• Search for “North Carolina Media Outlets” when asked to search for your school or state organization. 
• Select “North Carolina Media Outlets” and click join.
  
  • Please note that you must be approved by NCHSAA staff in order to join the Media Outlets organization. However, you can still request Credentials/Cards before being accepted as a member.
  • Click on the 'Request a card' icon in your Dragonfly profile to complete the necessary steps.
  • Download the Dragonfly Coaches app to your mobile device as this is where you'll pull up your digital media credential if approved.
• You must complete the Background Check Authorization Form and pay the $12 fee for a background check to DragonFly before the background check is conducted. Deadline to submit background consent form is on Mondays at 12:00pm. Background checks are run weekly.
  
  • Please be sure to accurately complete all sections of the background check authorization before submission. This includes a complete SSN, name, address, etc.
  • Once the background check has been completed, if approved, your status will be updated in DragonFly. If there are issues with the background check, you may be contacted by a member of the NCHSAA Staff for follow-up.

No New Single-Event or Year-Long Credential Requests will be approved without a fully completed and clean background check. An individual requesting credentials must have completed a background check approved by the NCHSAA within the last 365 days to receive credential approval. (Ex.: A background check requested and approved for 2023 Basketball would allow the person to request and receive credentials for 2023 Lacrosse Championships, 2023 Baseball Championships, etc. without submitting to & paying for a new background check.

We understand that this is a new policy and please know that it is subject to change as we learn how best to implement this system. We thank you in advance for being flexible and helping us work to ensure the safety of all students in our programs.

Single-Event Credential Request Window & Deadlines 2022-2023

No late requests will be accepted, and all requests must be submitted through the appropriate online form in DragonFly. The NCHSAA does not provide credentials for scouting services.

Any person holding an NCHSAA Year-Long Credential can skip the Single Event Credentials application to attend an NCHSAA Championship Event. Your year-long digital credential will allow access.

The NCHSAA can only guarantee accommodation to outlets requesting space and materials in advance.

Fall Events

Winter Events

Spring Events

Per the NCHSAA’s Media Policy and Procedures, “The issuance of all media credentials to NCHSAA events is at the sole discretion of the NCHSAA Staff. Submission of a credential request and payment of a background check does not guarantee a representative a media credential.”

NCHSAA Criteria for Evaluation of Media Outlets

1. To be approved, requesting outlets must be involved in the regular creation of original content involving NCHSAA member school athletic teams, coaches, and/or athletes. The outlet’s content and quality must demonstrate the necessity for credentialed access to NCHSAA events.
2. To be approved, an outlet must have a regularly updated medium controlled wholly by the requesting entity outside social media channels. This could include mediums such as but not limited to a website, magazine, newspaper, television show, radio show, game play-by-play. To be clear, a presence, regardless of size or scope, on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or other social platforms not above named does not meet the standard for a regularly updated medium controlled wholly by the requesting entity. 
3. To be approved, an outlet must have an editor or individual managing the outlet's content, personnel, and assignments. The editor is responsible for communication with the Association on matters of credentialing. The editor is responsible for the behavior and screening of persons requesting NCHSAA events credentials. Misbehavior or failure to adhere to NCHSAA Policies and Procedures by a member of the media covering an NCHSAA event for an approved outlet will be counted against not only the individual in question but the credentialing outlet.
4. An outlet’s coverage should demonstrate fair and balanced reporting on NCHSAA events to be approved. Approved outlets should seek to cover events positively, when possible, in a manner that enhances the NCHSAA’s mission to support and enrich students' educational experiences at NCHSAA member schools.
5. An outlet must maintain good standing with the Association and its member schools to be approved. This means that the outlet has adhered to all applicable NCHSAA and Local media policies and procedures, adheres to high standards of ethical conduct for media and journalism, correcting any misinformation it published in error when requested, and has paid any applicable broadcast rights fees during its coverage.

Special Provisions for Independent Photographers

Independent Photographers seeking to gain credentials must have an administrator from no less than two NCHSAA member schools submit letters of recommendation on their behalf indicating the photographer and any additional staff employed by the company abide by NCHSAA and Local Rules and Regulations concerning media, consistently professionally conduct themselves and supply the school with the desired service. These letters must be submitted directly from the member school administrators to the NCHSAA’s Director of Comunications and Media Relations during the application process before outlet approval.