Ames CSD Announces Membership in New League: The Iowa Alliance Conference

11 High Schools to Begin Competition in 2022-23 School Year

Ames CSD is today announcing its membership in a new high school athletic league: the Iowa Alliance Conference. Eleven of Iowa’s largest high schools will begin competing in the new conference, developed to enhance competition and participation among schools with long-time rivalries, with the start of the 2022-23 school year.

The Iowa Alliance Conference will be divided into two divisions and consist of the following high schools:

• North – Ames, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City, and Waterloo East
• South – Des Moines East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, Ottumwa, and Roosevelt

Currently, 10 of the 11 schools compete in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. Waterloo East is joining the IAC from the Mississippi Valley Conference.  

Athletic directors and administrators from the member school districts have been working over the past several months on establishing the new conference. Positive considerations in forming the alliance include:

• More competitive equity between the member high schools;
• Greater similarities among the member high schools;
• Increased competition and success for greater student participation and engagement;
• Increased competition and success in order to hire, support and retain coaches;
• Greater flexibility in decision-making and scheduling within a smaller conference;
• Maintain historic rivalries between central Iowa high schools.

“This new league maintains old rivalries – some dating back more than a century – but most importantly provides new opportunities for our student-athletes to compete for conference championships with schools of similar enrollment size and resources to that of Ames,” said Ames Activities Director, Lyle Fedders. “The decision to proceed took into account all 22 sports within the Ames High athletic department, with the interest of our student-athletes as the first priority. A Championship Tradition is still alive as ever as our program begins what will be an exciting new chapter for Little Cyclone athletics.”

Next year’s schedules for the Iowa Alliance Conference will be posted at a later date. The new conference will first compete in Cross Country, Boys Golf, Girls Swimming, and Volleyball starting next August.