History of ISHA

The International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) is a non-profit membership organization incorporated in 1971 to assist sport museums and halls of fame to develop, operate and promote their facilities in the best way possible. ISHA includes more than 130 members from countries such as China, Belgium, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and the United States.

First known as the Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame (ASHMHF) and later renamed the International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame (IASMHF), the organization became ISHA on January 1, 2006.

ISHA enables members to draw upon resources from the broader museum and corporate worlds for information on administration, development, collections management, public relations and merchandising.

ISHA offers a wide variety of services and opportunities for established sports museums and halls of fame, other related sports heritage organizations, and for people who may be thinking of establishing a new sports heritage organization.

Network with your peers

One of the best assets for your membership dues is the fact that you can reach out and contact  your peers in the industry.  Our annual directory is a great resource available only to ISHA members.  We've mailed you a copy but you can always find it here on the members side of the website.  So, access it now and while you're at it, go ahead save it to your desktop so you'll always have it as a ready reference.

 ISHA's 2007 Directory of Members (PDF)

Awards Application

The deadline for entries for the 2007 Communication Awards has passed.  An announcement of the winners will be made in the near future.  The awards are handed out at the annual conference in late October.

For more information regarding the annual awards, please contact us at:

Interational Sports Heritage Assocation
P.O. Box 2384
Florence, OR, 97439

ISHA Membership

The strength of the association is based on the collective value of its members. The driving force behind ISHA’s success is wide representation from sports heritage organizations around the world.

To gain the best “bang for the buck,” please consider joining today. Here are the major benefits you receive from your modest annual membership dues.

• Modest annual membership fees tiered by museum budgets
• Low conference fees (discounted for staff of member museums)
• Quarterly ISHA Newsletter
• Up to two free Directories for members - ISHA's annual directory of member institutions is a powerful desktop networking tool. Member data is included, as well as key personnel at each institution. If you are working on a project and want some advice from a sports museum or hall of fame, the best person to help you out can be found in the directory. (Members have online access to the directory).
• Up to three free copies of the publication "Honoring our Heroes"
• Free website listing including links to your home page. Each member of ISHA is featured on the ISHA website with information about its facility. People who are looking for information about sports museums and halls of fame can find all they need to know at one convenient location - "sportsheritage.org". Representation in the new travel planner on Sportsheritage.org.
• Use of ISHA's extensive Members Only site.
• Subscription to ISHA's list serve. – An extremely useful tool which allows you to instantly tap into and gain the expertise of our membership. There’s no more efficient way to gather information than utilizing this great asset that your membership provides.
• Personal Involvement and Networking - The association is large enough to develop and sustain significant professional support for its members, yet small enough to insure that no one gets "lost in the crowd." Expanding your professional network is a built-in reality with membership in ISHA providing a network for the exchange of ideas and opportunities for cooperative ventures among its members.
• Publications - ISHA has updated its valuable publication "Honoring our Heroes" which is designed to assist in the organization and development of a new sports museum and hall of fame.
• Worldwide Web Visibility

How to Join ISHA

ISHA offers two (2) different categories of membership:

• REGULAR: open to established sports heritage institutions.
• ASSOCIATE: persons or organizations interested in the activities of ISHA but not qualifying for regular membership.

To download a printable PDF file of the ISHA Regular membership application, click here.

To download a printable PDF file of the ISHA Associate membership application, click here.