As of January 31, 2007, a new membership scheme for IFPA went into effect. For the full proposal that led to this change, you can read the Proposal to Amend the IFPA Membership Structure.

There are now three membership "tiers", as listed below.

Tier 0

Non-voting member at large.

Members of footbag.org are automatically Tier 0 members, and can access footbag.org member-only areas of the site (such as member search, adding/editing clubs on the club list, member forum, etc.). They cannot, however, vote in IFPA elections, run for IFPA offices, sit on IFPA committees, or be counted in the official IFPA member roster.

Anyone can become a Tier 0 member by registering for a free account on footbag.org. Tier 0 membership does not expire, though members may request to cancel their footbag.org account and thus cease being counted in the official non-voting membership count.

Tier 1

Basic voting IFPA membership.

Members at Tier 1 have the right to vote in IFPA elections, participate on IFPA committees, and access IFPA-member-only areas of footbag.org (e.g., video/photo upload service, create and participate in online groups/committees, etc.).

Members can attain Tier 1 status free of charge -- by attending any IFPA-sanctioned tournament or festival, or by seeking recognition from a Tier 2 or higher member (typically a local club organizer. Anyone may also apply for Tier 1 membership by joining online. Tier 1 members can also pay for a lifetime membership. (The duration of a membership does not affect which tier it is at.)

Tier 2

IFPA organizer membership.

Members at Tier 2 receive all the benefits of Tier 1 for life, in addition to the ability to apply for event sanctioning or sponsorship.

Also, Tier 2 members are able to send e-mails to the footbag.org announcements e-mail list, add events to the event list, and access other organizer-only areas of footbag.org.

Most importantly, Tier 2 members have (limited) access to update the IFPA membership roster by designating other members as Tier 1 members, either directly (using a web-based tool) or indirectly (requesting an IFPA official to update the roster accordingly). This is normally done in conjunction with tournaments or festivals they are organizing, but may also include their own club members and anyone they can "vouch" for or "recognize" who requests an annual Tier 1 membership. For convenience, Tier 2 members can have direct access to the membership roster (if such a tool is available) immediately surrounding a sanctioned event they are running, usually 1-2 weeks before and 1-2 weeks after the event. All other times, Tier 2 members must request updates from the Membership Director or an official empowered by the Membership Director as part of the volunteer staff of the organization. In general, such requests will be approved and implemented immediately; however, the Membership Director has the discretion to deny such requests if they seem to be frivolous or abusive.

Becoming a Tier 2 member requires paying either an annual Tier 2 membership fee, or a lifetime Tier 2 membership fee. To apply for Tier 2 membership, simply join online. You can also sign into your member homepage and click the Upgrade link in the membership section.

Transition from the previous system

IFPA members prior to the new system going into effect did not lose any benefits and were be treated as if they had registered under the new system.

All members who ever paid US $10 will automatically became "lifetime Tier 1 members" as of the transition to the current scheme.

All members who have ever paid US $25 or more automatically became Tier 2 members for one year from their last payment. Future Tier 2 memberships must be renewed annually (similar to the previous system) by paying the US $25 fee. However, of course, any Tier 2 member were given a lifetime Tier 1 member, and as such, their Tier 1 membership will never expire.

All members who have ever paid US $150 or more automatically became Tier 2 lifetime members.

For more information on IFPA, please visit the IFPA Homepage.