The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is poised to expand its duties later this fall to include review of the amateur status of all prospective student-athletes who plan to enroll for the first time at an NCAA Division I or II institution in fall 2007 or later.

In addition to reviewing prospective student-athletes’ academic credentials, the Clearinghouse also will conduct a similar review of a prospect’s amateur status. Like the academic review, prospects must complete the amateurism certification process to receive financial aid and participate in Division I or Division II athletics. Division III prospects are not required to register with the Clearinghouse for either review.

During the online registration process, prospects will provide demographic and academic information and answer questions about athletics participation, prize money, expense money received and any contact the applicant may have had with agents or professional teams.

The questionnaire was tested on diverse and representative focus groups, feedback from which helped produce clearly written questions, definitions for some terms provided directly on the page and links to frequently asked questions.

Once the prospect provides the information, a preliminary amateurism status report will be issued to guide institutions in the recruiting process. Institutional personnel will be able to view any prospect’s amateurism status on their school’s institutional request list (in the same location on the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Web site as the prospect’s academic status).

Bill Saum, NCAA director of amateurism issues, promised a smoother implementation of the certification process than the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse experienced when it was implemented in the 1990s — mostly because the amateurism certification is merely an expansion of duties for an already-established entity.

"We now have an overarching Clearinghouse with two issues being serviced — academics and amateurism," he said. "The Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is presently in operation. The amateurism component is being added. This isn’t as much of a new initiative as the (academic) eligibility certifications were 10 years ago."

Beginning April 7, 2007, all registered prospects with preliminary amateurism certification reports and who are scheduled to enroll in fall 2007 will be required to update their form and confirm the accuracy of all information provided. A final amateurism certification will be issued that member institutions can access. Institutions are responsible for certifying amateur status during the "gap time" after the prospect requests a final certification and before enrollment.

Prospects who have registered with the Clearinghouse before the opening of the amateurism certification component will be contacted and asked to complete the new portion.

The amateurism certification process is a product of collaboration between NCAA staff and the membership. Saum called it a "work in progress," and said the staff is open to more thoughts and ideas from the membership.

Membership frustration about determining prospects’ amateur status led to the new certification process in the first place. Institutional personnel were increasingly challenged because of the rise in popularity of club leagues and traveling teams both in the U.S. and abroad. NCAA President Myles Brand endorsed the amateurism certification concept in spring 2005 to the Divisions I and II Management Councils. NCAA staff members began creating the process and its operating principles under Saum’s direction.

Saum said the certification process is scheduled to open for registrants November 20. Clearinghouse and NCAA membership services staff members are prepared to answer questions.

"It’s time to open this. We are prepared to deal with concerns," Saum said. "We know it will be better on November 21st than it was on the 20th and better on December 1st than it was on November 21st. We have our staff prepared to act and react."

Saum said the international and domestic secondary school communities, as well as all Division I and II institutions, will have been notified of the new amateurism certification process before it goes live.

"If nothing else, this initiative will bring a consistent interpretation of a prospective student-athlete’s eligibility status," Saum said. "The amateurism certification process will help reduce the items on the compliance officer’s ‘to do’ list, and it will allow institutions to make better final decisions about where to spend their recruiting dollars."