Membership in a national should be the objective of ambitious and forward thinking high school students and teachers. The greatest value of membership is the encouragement and incentive it gives you to become an effective speaker and hence a more successful and more influential citizen. NFL trains for leadership. To be a leader in your school today and a leader in your community tomorrow, become an NFL member.

• The NFL is the only honorary society that recognizes students in speech and debate, and it is the oldest and largest interscholastic forensic organization. Joining the NFL enables a school to claim a nationally merited speech and debate honor society driven program at their school.
• Every speech and debate win or loss, rank, or score earns points simply for participation.
• This offers a , enabling students to see how they measure up against other students from across the country who also participate.
• The NFL point system has proven to be a successful tool to ignite competitive drive among students.
• Point systems can be particularly helpful when trying to gain support from parents, principals, school boards, and alumni.
• According to research, NFL membership is a major asset for student admissions essays and applications for college.
• The NFL recognizes young people beyond competitive success, such as the and the .

• Participation in the NFL teaches young people to think critically and speak persuasively, preparing them to be engaged and effective global citizens. Forensics meets several cross-disciplinary academic standards.
• The NFL offers several and to support its member coaches.
• Veteran coaches mentor newer coaches, and ongoing relationships with fellow NFL coaches provide guidance and encouragement.
• The NFL provides tools for .

In addition to the , the NFL provides several programs for coaches, teachers, and students that aid in their growth through partnership with outside organizations, including:

• Debate Essay Contest

• Each member school receives a monthly issue of magazine, which informs members of the latest trends in speech and debate.
• Rostrum also gives coaches publication and research opportunities.
• Rostrum also publishes information about leading forensic training institutes, supporting materials and resources, and upcoming programs that benefits your students and school.

Join the following leaders in business, government, law, education and many other professions as an NFL alum:

• Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon
• Vice President Hubert Humphrey
• Multiple Members of Congress
• Ted Turner, founder and CEO of CNN
• Oprah Winfrey, television host and philanthropist
• Jane Pauley, anchor and television host
• Shelly Long, Emmy award-winning actress
• Kelsey Grammar, Emmy award-winning actor
• Brian Lamb, CSPAN founder
• Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
• Michael Urie, star of Ugly Betty

And more than 1.3 million !

If you are a new school who has never been a member of the NFL, simply complete and return the Application for Membership with the $99 membership fee. The signature of your high school principal is required to complete the membership application.

NOTE: Collaboratives, city after school programs/clubs that are not recognized as accredited schools may not join the NFL as a "school." Each school of participating students must join separately, with principal's signature certifying eligibility and enrollment of students. This is to uphold state and local interscholastic competition requirements.

Student Membership: When a student reaches 25 points (at least 10 in interscholastic debate, speech and/or Congress competition) there is a $15 (one time only) enrollment fee. Schools are billed for this enrollment fee when students cross the 25-point threshold.

Read more about how individual student and school chapter membership works...

The newly revised .

Also available to new schools is the free 10-minute VHS tape starring Jane Pauley and Oprah Winfrey. Ms. Pauley, Ms. Winfrey and others examine the effect that high school speech and debate team participation had on their lives and the lives of others. This is the , which you can also watch online. If you are interested in receiving a VHS tape version, please e-mail Lisa at Please include the following information: School Name, Contact Name, Contact Name's e-mail address, and School's complete mailing address)

ATTENTION: In order to open or save NFL Forms and Manuals you must have the newest version of Adobe Reader installed on your computer.