Tennessee HS athletics is concentrated across the Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga metros with strong football, basketball, and baseball programs. Lightning for Schools is built for TSSAA athletic directors: FERPA-compliant student-data handling, 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras, and a recruiting portal integration matched to TN HS recruiting density.
Built for TSSAA
Governing Body
Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA)
Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support TSSAA-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference:
www.tssaa.org.
Compliant with FERPA + Tennessee data protection standards
Student Data Privacy
FERPA + Tennessee data protection standards
Student-athlete records in Tennessee public schools are governed by FERPA plus Tennessee's data security and breach-notification requirements. Vendors handling TN 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 Tennessee athletic directors actually deal with
- TSSAA classification has split into TSSAA Division I (public schools) and TSSAA Division II (private schools) for football and basketball — operational workflows differ between the two divisions.
- Memphis HS basketball is one of the most recruited basketball pipelines in the country; Penny Hardaway-era recruiting attention raised the profile of TSSAA basketball nationally.
- Nashville-area football (Brentwood, Ravenwood, MBA, etc.) draws SEC + ACC attention at scale that's heavier than typical states of TN's size.
- TSSAA transfer rules — particularly around the public-vs-private boundary — generate recurring eligibility paperwork volume for ADs.
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 + Tennessee 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 Tennessee
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:
Nashville metro
Memphis area
Knoxville area
Chattanooga area
Tri-Cities
Murfreesboro
Talk to Christian directly
I'm the founder. Tennessee 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.