USASF, IASF, USA Cheer & ICU – What Are They and What’s the Difference?

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The sport of cheerleading has multiple “governing bodies” and organizations, meaning it can be hard to understand the difference between them. It is a complicated and messy situation, often driven by self-interest and profit rather than collaboration.

In this article, we explain what the USASF, IASF, USA Cheer, and ICU are and what they do. We also cover some differences and similarities of the organizations (hint: they might have more in common than you think).

Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with any of the listed organizations. Please refer to their respective websites for official information.

What is the USASF?

“USASF” stands for The U.S. All Star Federation, which is a membership organization for Allstar cheerleading in the United States, not a national governing body. The organization oversees things like competition rules, certifying judges and coaches, age grids, education, event producers, and more.

Along with the IASF, it hosts The Cheerleading Worlds every year. The USASF was founded in 2003 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. Read more about The Cheerleading Worlds: What Is The Cheerleading Worlds? Quick Competition Guide

The organization’s mission is this: “The U.S. All Star Federation is committed to creating a safe and positive environment for its participants’ physical, emotional, and social development and ensuring it promotes an environment free from abuse and misconduct.”

However, the USASF has received much negative attention over the past years…

The USASF has been riddled with lawsuits for various issues and reasons. These lawsuits have raised significant concerns about the organization, ranging from allegations of monopolizing the cheerleading industry to investigations into sexual misconduct.

We have covered these lawsuits and investigations in our weekly newsletters. For further reading, you can find the newsletters detailing the lawsuits here.

We have also covered some of the earlier lawsuits here:

All You Need To Know About The Lawsuit Against Varsity & USASF

What is the IASF?

The International All Star Federation, or IASF, governs international cheerleading teams and divisions in the United States. Previously part of the USASF, it split into a separate organization in 2016. International teams typically follow IASF rules, which differ slightly from USASF rules in some divisions. These rules also apply to U.S.-based teams in international divisions at The Cheerleading Worlds and The Summit.

See examples of the different rules here: New Rules For The 2019-2020 Season – Both IASF & USASF

Not only does the IASF manage these rules, but they also oversee qualification processes for international teams. Teams must qualify to compete at events like The Cheerleading Worlds, and the IASF handles that.

The organizations’ mission is:

“To bring structure, consistency, safety and growth to the global community of All Star Cheer and Dance.” and “With the help of the global cheer and dance community, the IASF will help provide common ground for all countries involved in All Star Cheer and Dance. The IASF will provide clear understanding of rules, a consistent credentialing platform and opportunities for growth of the sport.”

What is USA Cheer?

USA Cheer is the United States national governing body for sport cheering, as recognized by the ICU. Established in 2007, USA Cheer serves the cheer community, including Allstar, youth recreational cheer, traditional school-based programs, and the sport of STUNT.

The governing body says it has three main objectives: “promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; help grow and develop interest and participation in cheer throughout the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.”

What is the ICU?

The International Cheer Union, or ICU for short, is the World governing body for cheerleading. The organization was founded in 2004 with the mission to advance and grow the sport internationally. Unlike the USASF and IASF, which focus more on Allstar cheerleading, the ICU focuses on National teams and potential future Olympic Games involvement. 

Their work includes communicating with cheerleading federations in different countries, establishing rules and regulations, plus many other things regarding growing the sport of cheerleading.

Each ICU member nation has its own governing body, or bodies, that manage the sport within the country. You can find a list of all member nations and their official, recognized governing bodies on the ICU website here.

The ICU is also the host of the ICU World Cheerleading Championships. Click here to read our ICU Worlds guide to learn more about the competition!

Since 2016, the ICU has been a provisional (temporary) member of the International Olympic Committee. In June 2021, the International Olympic Committee gave cheerleading full recognition. That means cheerleading, through the ICU, is one step closer to becoming an Olympic sport!

Want to learn more about the Olympic recognition? We explain what it means and why cheerleading is not in the Olympic Games:

https://www.thecheerbuzz.com/cheerleading-receives-full-olympic-recognition-what-does-this-mean

Conclusion: differences & similarities

So, the main difference between the USASF, IASF, USA Cheer, and ICU lies in the regions they oversee and the types of cheerleading they manage. While the USASF and IASF are involved in managing All-Star cheerleading globally, the ICU focuses on National teams and Olympic involvement.

Despite these differences, the organizations are more similar and interconnected than you might think…

In our articles about the Varsity Brands & USASF lawsuits, the timeline of events reveals how these organizations were originally founded. The USASF was created by Varsity, among others. Varsity also founded the ICU, and the IASF name is officially trademarked by Varsity. The current president of the ICU, Jeff Webb, is the founder of Varsity Brands.

If you want to dig deeper into this information, we recommend reading about the lawsuits against these organizations. They suggest that the organizations have made decisions that benefit each other and Varsity, effectively “taking over” and controlling the cheerleading industry.

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We hope this article helped you understand the differences between the USASF, IASF, USA Cheer, and ICU. If you found this interesting, consider sharing it with others who could benefit from the information. We greatly appreciate your support!