North American Scrabble Players Association

The North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) is an organization founded in 2009 to administer competitive Scrabble tournaments and clubs in North America. It took over these activities from the National Scrabble Association (NSA) effective July 1, 2009.

NASPA has organized the annual National Scrabble Championship (NSC) since 2009, most recently the one in New Orleans, Louisiana in August 2017. In 2015 the championship was renamed the North American Scrabble Championship.

Its Dictionary Committee edits the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and the Official Tournament and Club Word List.

Its Rules Committee edits the official Scrabble tournament rules.

Its Rating and Recognition Committee maintains the official rating system.

Its Tournament Committee maintains a calendar of hundreds of officially sanctioned tournaments each year, and is a disciplinary body for players and directors.

Its Club/Director Committee maintains a roster of officially sanctioned clubs, and certifies club and tournament directors.

Its Advisory Board determines policy that affects club and tournament play, and hears appeals to the decisions of other committees.

Its Canadian Committee oversees matters that pertain solely to Canadian NASPA members, such as organizing the Canadian National Scrabble Championship tournament.

NASPA came into existence following a weekend meeting at Hasbro headquarters in Springfield, Massachusetts in December 2008. The meeting was arranged by the National Scrabble Association (NSA) and Hasbro executives. Hasbro had decided to stop its financial support of adult tournament Scrabble and clubs by the end of 2009. The NSA, which had been running adult tournament Scrabble since the late 1970s, would continue as an organization, but it would exist largely to focus on its growing school Scrabble program and to promote recreational play. (The NSA ceased operations on July 1, 2013.) The Springfield meeting was attended by 16 people, representing a cross-section of the Scrabble community: prominent Scrabble players, club and tournament directors, and others from across the continent. Those 16 had been invited by the NSA to hear firsthand from Hasbro executives about the company's decision to cease funding. In its wake, the attendees were offered the opportunity to form a new organization to preserve competitive adult Scrabble in North America and encouraged to do so with Hasbro's blessing.

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