The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was the women's version of the NCAA in the 1970s to 1980s until the NCAA stopped fighting Title IX in courts and staged a takeover.
There’s an organization you’ve probably never heard of before: The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. In the 1970s and early 1980s, this organization was the women’s version of the NCAA. It was a one-of-a-kind association, run by women for women, at a time when the NCAA was fighting Title IX in courts. But after losing a series of battles to protect lucrative sports like football, the NCAA realized, if you can’t beat them, stage a financial takeover. It was an all out war and women’s sports has never been the same since.