Delaware HS athletics is concentrated geographically but competitively dense — DIAA governs both public schools and the state's strong private/parochial network across New Castle County and downstate. Lightning for Schools is built for DIAA athletic directors: FERPA-compliant student-data handling, 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras (which scales well for DE's small-program reality), and a recruiting portal integration matched to DE HS recruiting density.
Built for DIAA
Governing Body
Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA)
Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support DIAA-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference:
diaa.doe.k12.de.us.
Compliant with FERPA + Delaware data protection standards
Student Data Privacy
FERPA + Delaware data protection standards
Student-athlete records in Delaware public schools are governed by FERPA plus Delaware's data security and breach-notification requirements (Title 6, Chapter 12B of the Delaware Code). Vendors handling DE student-athlete data must meet FERPA's third-party handling requirements. Lightning's data-handling practices are built to meet these requirements; a vendor that can't speak to your state's privacy framework should not be on your shortlist.
What Delaware athletic directors actually deal with
- Delaware is unusually small geographically but competitively dense — DIAA governs both public and private schools in the same brackets, distinct from most states' parallel public/private systems.
- Salesianum School (Wilmington, all-boys Catholic) is one of DIAA's most consistently-competitive programs — reached the DIAA Class 3A football championship in three consecutive seasons through 2025, with national-recruiting visibility for football and lacrosse alike.
- Sanford School, Saint Mark's, Tower Hill, Wilmington Friends, Tatnall — competitive private school cluster in northern Delaware overlaps with strong public programs (Concord, Smyrna, Middletown, Caravel) in the same DIAA brackets.
- Henlopen Conference (southern Delaware) and Blue Hen Conference (northern Delaware) drive most DIAA scheduling — operational rhythms differ between conferences, including different season-start dates for some sports.
What Lightning for Schools includes
10 coach seats included
Flat $150/yr base includes 10 full coach seats. Need more for a big multi-sport department? Add extra seats anytime at 50% of the coach-tier price.
Roster + eligibility
Per-sport, per-season roster management with eligibility tracking, transfer documentation, and out-of-season practice limits.
Recruiting portal integration
Your student-athletes' Lightning profiles roll into a searchable college-coach portal — recruiting attention without leaving the AD platform.
DPA-compliant data handling
Aligned with FERPA + Delaware data protection standards requirements. Documentation available for your district's procurement review.
Stat verification
Coach Verified and Tournament Verified stats flow into the recruiting layer automatically. Reduces manual roster-update workload for AD staff.
Multi-season scheduling
Fall / winter / spring sport scheduling in one tool — facility allocation, transportation requests, official assignments.
Built for athletic departments across Delaware
We're looking for our first partner departments in the state. If you're an AD in one of these areas and want to talk through a pilot:
New Castle County
Wilmington area
Newark area
Kent County (Dover)
Sussex County
Talk to Christian directly
I'm the founder. Delaware athletic directors who want to talk through a pilot or just get specific questions answered can reach me directly: [email protected] or (443) 996-6563.