Thirty-two schools joined the USA Clay Target League this fall, and established teams added fall seasons of their own. The result is the League’s biggest fall yet.
Competition got underway in September with 16,913 student-athletes on 1,163 high school, college and homeschool teams, the League announced Sept. 22. Both numbers top last fall’s mark of 16,841 athletes on 1,109 teams.
Team growth tells the story best. In 2023 the League fielded 873 fall teams, followed by 990 in 2024 and 1,109 in 2025. This year’s total puts it up by a third in three years, and fall participation has climbed 28 percent since 2022.
League President John Nelson said the fall season keeps expanding as more schools sign on to give students a safe outdoor activity. Along with the 32 newcomers, established teams grew this year by adding fall competition to their calendars.
Nelson sees fall as the League’s recruiting season. It gives teams a window to bring in new shooters, also giving returning athletes another chance to represent their schools in a sport they enjoy.
Fall complements a spring season that carries most of the League’s participation. Across both, the nonprofit serves more than 57,000 students on nearly 2,200 teams a year.
Part of the League’s appeal is how easily it fits into a school's athletic program. Every team is school-approved, and most participating schools award letters and include their teams in the yearbook. Qualifying seniors share tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships each year from the League and colleges.
Teams are co-ed, the format welcomes students with physical disabilities, and every athlete earns a firearm safety certification before competing. Programs cover trap, skeet, sporting clays and five-stand.
What’s Next
High school teams shoot through the end of October. College athletes are building toward the USA College Clay Target League National Championship over Halloween weekend, where Lindenwood University and Tyler Marshall took top honors in 2025.
Schools interested in starting a team can find details at usaclaytarget.com.
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