Soon, high school sports and fans will have a dedicated national network to call home.

In an expanded partnership between PlayOn! Sports and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the soon-to-launch NFHS Network aims to create a national platform for high school sports. More details:

Supporting the fan base: Nearly 50 million Americans consider themselves fans of high school sports, according to NFHS, and the goal of the new network is to provide coverage that brings that community together. “Our mission is to serve the current and future generations of student-athletes, support and encourage their participation, and make their performances accessible to their friends, family, and fans on every media platform they use,” David Rudolph, CEO of PlayOn! Sports, said in a statement announcing the network.

A partnership expanded: The plan is to leverage the existing success of the PlayOn! Sports platform. The company has collaborated with 32 NFHS state associations and sections across 26 states as well as more than 600 high schools that use its technology to self-produce their sports and activities. The NFHS Network will expand this relationship, making it available to 19,000 schools. State high school associations will maintain local media relationships, according to NFHS and PlayOn!, but  NFHS Network aims to become “the largest aggregated destination for coverage of high school sports in the country.” The network is the result of discussions between Rudolph, NFHS executive director Bob Gardner, and many state association executive directors;  the framework is meant to allow all NFHS state associations to take part. “Ultimately, we want to make the NFHS Network the most treasured and trusted source for high school athletics,” says Gardner.

The network is expected to launch August 1, according to a counter on its website.

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