National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News & Features

November 4, 1996

Interpretations Committee minutes

Conference No. 10
September 26, 1996

Acting for the NCAA Council, the committee issued the following interpretations:

Tryouts/Local Sports Club

1. Institution's Coaching Staff Member Owning a Local Sports Club (Divisions I, II and III). An institution's coaching staff member who is organizing his or her own local sports club may use his or her own funds, independent of the institution, to establish and/or operate the club. [References: NCAA Bylaw 13.12.2.4.1 (institutional sponsorship of a local sports club) and IC 9/16/93, Item No. 2]

Partial Qualifier/Nonqualifier

2. Partial Qualifiers Sitting With the Team During a Contest (Divisions I and II). A partial qualifier may sit with the institution's team (e.g., on the bench, in the dugout, on the sidelines) during a home contest in which the member institution's team participates but is not permitted to dress in uniform for the contest. [References: 14.3.2.1.1.1 (eligibility for aid, practice and competition -- Division I), 14.3.2.1.2.1 (eligibility for aid, practice and competition -- Division II), 14.3.4 (residency requirement -- partial qualifier and nonqualifier) and IC 2/25/92, Item No. 6]

Recruiting Materials/Correspondence

3. Distribution of Recruiting Materials to a Prospect at the Prospect's Practice or Competition Site (Divisions I and II). An institutional staff member may provide items other than general correspondence (e.g., media guides, recruiting brochures, questionnaires) to a third party with the intent that such items be delivered by the third party to the prospect at the prospect's practice or competition site. However, it is not permissible for the staff member to include a note with such item or to write a note on the item. The committee noted that inasmuch as the provisions of 13.4.1-(a) are specific to general correspondence, there is no authority to preclude institutional staff members from distributing other recruiting materials listed in 13.4.1 to a third party with the intent that such items be delivered to a prospect at the prospect's practice or competition site. [References: 13.1.8.2 (practice or competition site) and 13.4.1-(a) (Division I and II -- printed recruiting materials)]