Getting Involved

IDPA matches run on volunteers. If you enjoy the sport, here are some ways to help keep matches running in Nebraska. IDPA sets the requirements for each role below, so this page points you to IDPA’s official information and doesn’t replace it.

Start by showing up

Every IDPA match needs people to set up, reset targets, and score. Squad members are expected to help reset stages between shooters, so you’ll be pitching in from your first match. Find a club on the Clubs page, check its PractiScore calendar, and come watch or shoot. Spectators are free.

Become a Safety Officer

Safety Officers (SOs) run each stage and keep matches safe, and every club needs more of them. To become one, you take an IDPA Safety Officer class taught by an authorized IDPA Safety Officer Instructor (SOI). IDPA’s Match Administration Rules currently ask applicants to:

  • Be at least 21 years old and legally able to possess a firearm
  • Have been an IDPA member in good standing for at least six months
  • Have shot at least six IDPA matches
  • Know the basics of the IDPA rulebook
  • Be sponsored by an IDPA-affiliated club representative who can vouch for your safe gun handling

The best first step is to talk to the Match Director at the club you shoot with. They can sponsor you, and they’ll know when the next class is being offered. These requirements are set by IDPA and can change, so check the current rules on IDPA’s match rules page.

Start a club or run matches

If there’s no IDPA club near you, you can start one. IDPA has information for new clubs on its Create Club page. Please also let the site administrator know through the Contact page so the club can be added to this site.

Each club’s matches are organized by a Match Director (MD), so a new club needs someone who can fill that role. IDPA currently requires an MD to be:

  • A certified Safety Officer
  • A current IDPA member in good standing
  • Someone who has shot at least six IDPA matches

IDPA’s rules give newly affiliated clubs a six-month grace period on the six-match requirement for Tier 1 matches. They also let a start-up club send up to six Safety Officer candidates to an SO class with the membership requirement waived. These rules can change, so check the current match rules when you plan.

Already shoot with a club and would like to take on the MD role someday? Talk to your club’s current MD.

Join IDPA

Membership is required after your third match, and it’s the first step toward becoming an SO or MD. You can join on IDPA’s website.