As of April 15, 2025, USPSA and Steel Challenge reached a major milestone: 40,000 members. That’s the largest the organization has ever been, and it’s more than just a number—it’s a testament to the passion, growth and dedication happening across every level of the sport. Whether you’re running a club, working the timer or showing up for your first USPSA match, you’ve played a part in this.
To hit 40,000 members is exciting, but what’s even more important is what it represents. It reflects increased engagement at the local level, full squads at major matches, a surge of interest from new shooters and a wave of volunteers stepping up to keep everything moving. We’re averaging more than 33 new members every single day, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down.
GROWTH STARTS AT THE CLUB LEVEL
At the core of this momentum are USPSA clubs. Across the country, 481 USPSA clubs and 293 Steel Challenge clubs are active and running matches. That’s where the action happens. These clubs are the entry point for most shooters into the sport, and they’re also the foundation for long-term participation.
We closed out the first quarter of 2025 with match activity up 19% in USPSA and 11% percent in Steel Challenge in comparison to Q1 of 2024. That’s a big jump, and it reflects not only more matches being hosted but also more shooters showing up to compete. Club match attendance is up, registration links are getting hammered and squads are filling up fast.
A PACKED MAJOR MATCH CALENDAR
The 2025 calendar is stacked. As of mid-April, there are 70 Level 2 and Level 3 USPSA matches scheduled across the country, plus 25 Steel Challenge major events on the books.
That’s a significant number of opportunities for shooters to test themselves beyond the local level—and a sign that match directors are stepping up in a big way. From the classic destination matches to newer events building a reputation, there’s no shortage of options to get out and compete.
BUILDING UP RANGE OFFICERS AND THE NEXT GENERATION
The future of USPSA and Steel Challenge depends on solid match staff, and that starts with education. In the first three-and-a-half months of 2025 alone, we’ve already completed 35 NROI Range Officer seminars, helping train and certify the next wave of match officials. That number is expected to climb, with more than 50 additional seminars scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.
In addition to Range Officer classes, we’ve also got two IROA IPSC seminars on the calendar—helping grow the pool of USPSA and Steel Challenge volunteers.
VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN
We say it often, but it bears repeating—this sport runs on volunteers. It’s easy to focus on the competition, the guns, the gear and the stages, but none of it happens without the people behind the scenes. These are the people driving USPSA and Steel Challenge forward.
LOOKING AHEAD
With a record number of members, strong match activity and a packed calendar of events and training, 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for USPSA and Steel Challenge. But we’re not taking our foot off the gas; we’re 40,000 strong and still climbing. Let’s keep it going.
Article from the May/June 2025 issue of USPSA’s magazine.
