The International Field Archery Association, also known as the IFAA is an international archery association that was founded 1970 when a group of field archers from the USA, Sweden, England, Scotland, Wales and Canada agreed on a set of basic rules by which Field Archery tournaments would be run. We now represent over 50 000 field archers in over 40 member countries from all continents.

SANIFAA recognises the IFAA rounds as an important part of archery in South Africa and has incorporated IFAA rounds into its archery of offerings.

Although the IFAA is mainly for the amateur archer, new rules are in place to accept and to provide competitions for professional archers without infringing the status of our amateur archers.

SANIFAA sanctions its members to participate in international IFAA events based on its rules are regulations pertaining to the discipline. Today most of our international IFAA tournaments have 400 or more participants and some of these events have in excess of 800 participants Amateur and Professional archers, although competing in the same event, shoot in different divisions.

Our game is either marked Field and Indoor archery events, in which we shoot at paper target faces over known distances or unmarked Bowhunter events, in which case we shoot at either paper faces or 3D targets over unknown distances, all on a wide variety of terrain.

Member countries of the IFAA host the World Field Archery Championships in the even years and the World Bowhunter Championships, as well as our Indoor Archery Championships are held in the intervening years.

In addition, the IFAA sanctions the annual championships of their five regions. The rules of our events are well defined but have been kept as simple as possible. Your fellow archers administer these rules out on the courses, rather than judges, marshals or other officials.

This format has been shown to be very successful over the years and is appreciated by most of our archers. Please click on the links on this page to explore the various field and indoor archery games and competitions as well as to the various styles of archery equipment that we permit. It explains the rules of the sport as conducted by the IFAA.

All members who obtain qualifying scores and who meet certain set criteria may qualify for provincial, National and Protea Colours . The rules and regulations regarding eligibility are defined in the Book of Rules of SANIFAA. Protea Colours are awarded in terms of the ruling regulations by the South African Colours Board. Protea Colours qualifiers agreed within the By Laws of SANIFAA will be put forward by SANIFAA for approval by the SASCOC Colours Board..

Bow Styles
There are a number of bow styles that are used to compete in the Association and the various styles. The IFAA cater for the World Family of Archers to ensure that archery is a family sport and one which can be enjoyed by all. ..

Indoor
IFAA Indoor Standard Round is shot indoors in diversity of shooting styles, the seemingly endless variations of equipment.

Field
One of the great attractions in archery is the diversity of shooting styles, the seemingly endless variations of equipment and of course the great variety in courses and targets that can be shot. In all of these variations there is one single intent and that is to hit the specific point on the target that you are aiming at. Like any sport unless the objective of the sport can be achieved with some regularity its not much fun. As with any other sporting pursuit practice is the way to improvement.

3D
3D rounds use life-size models of game animals such as deer. It is most common to see unmarked distances in 3D archery, as the goal is to accurately recreate a hunting environment for competition, albeit a more loosely organized form of competition than other types of field archery.