Joining
Joining the Massachusetts Forensic League
The Massachusetts Forensic League welcomes any interest from new members wishing to join us in speech, debate, and congress. Forensics teaches skills and abilities that serve young people for the rest of their lives, from quick thinking and analysis in public address and debate events, to dramatic expression and presentation in the interpretative events. A solid education in speech and debate is an essential experience for any student.
This page describes some of the details of joining; if you would like you may also download the full New Coaches' Manual.
Technical details of joining
To register for tournaments, sign yourself up for MFL mailing lists, and be listed as a chapter member of the MFL, first you must create yourself an account on our online database. To do so, simply click here, click on "Create New Account", and fill out the form with your information. After you have created an account, please select the interest areas you wish to recieve email for under the Communicate menu, under Mailing Lists.
You will then can fill out information about your school. Create your school by clicking on the Register menu, and click on Create a Chapter. Enter the data on your students here as well, once you have them. You will begin to receive announcement emails from the MFL. You may also then use this system to register your students for future MFL tournaments.
How do I get started?
Teaching good public speaking and debate is by no means an exact science. The MFL offers a periodic Coaches Convention for coaches of the MFL to discuss techniques and curriculum from some of the experts within the MFL and from beyond. Ask the President (email below) for details on the Coaches Convention. The Chairs of Speech, Debate and Congress also serve as curricular resources for their particular areas of expertise. We are also working on video materials, online guides, and further material for the benefit of new programs.
Dues and fees
Tournament fees are set by the individual tournaments themselves and are specified in the tournament invitations. All MFL Tournament invitations are posted to this website a couple weeks before the tournament, under the links to each tournament listed on the Schedule. The invitation will explain any particulars behind registering for the tournament, limits or restrictions on entry, and further information.
In addition, MFL member school dues to the League are $50 per year. You may attend a tournament or two before committing to full MFL membership if you are a new school to the MFL. However, students will not recieve bids to the State Tournament until dues from their school are paid in full. Once you have signed onto the online system, you will recieve invoices for dues.
Further questions?
If you have further questions, the President of the MFL (email to president at massforensics.org), and the Secretary (email to secretary at massforensics.org) are specifically there for new program outreach. Feel free to email either or both of them with any questions.