The Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet has endorsed a recommendation from the NCAA staff to increase the travel-policy mileage limitation from 350 to 400 miles for all upcoming fall championships.

The cabinet, which met September 16-17 in Indianapolis, also supported a recommendation that increases the policy regarding ground commute from the nearest airport to the championships site from 120 to 150 miles and gives the NCAA travel staff the discretion to increase the mileage (minimally) if necessary and reasonable.

Cabinet members agreed to examine the effectiveness of these new policies, which could save about $500,000, and will solicit feedback from their institutions and conferences before considering whether to implement the changes for winter and spring championships (except for men’s and women’s basketball).

The cabinet supported the recommendations in light of a request from the NCAA Executive Committee to seek efficiencies to mitigate rising fuel costs reduced flight capacity. All three NCAA divisions are undertaking such a review.

Travel costs in Division I have increased 31 percent (around $7 million) from the last academic year and almost 58 percent in the last three years.  The national office is projecting an increase of $6 to $7 million in Division I travel expenses for next year.

The airline industry also projects about 20 million fewer seats to be available on domestic flights during the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to last year.

NCAA President Myles Brand told the 31-member cabinet, “Your task is to make the championships more successful, more collegiate, more representative of our universities and college sports within a constrained budget.”

Jeff Schemmel, chair of the cabinet and director of athletics at San Diego State, said he and his peers are ready to handle the challenges.

 “This cabinet welcomes that opportunity,” said Schemmel. “We can’t think parochially anymore. We need to think big picture. This cabinet will take (Brand’s) words to heart. Clearly, our charge is to think globally and strategically.”

During its meeting, the cabinet discussed two “tiers” of additional recommendations from the NCAA staff geared toward mitigating the travel challenges.

The first tier, which did not require cabinet approval and will be implemented immediately by the national office staff, includes the following:

• Championships managers and sport committees will consider revising selection times to allow a minimum of 48 hours between selection release and the time a team has to depart for a competition site and between rounds of the championship. Additionally, championships managers and sport committees will attempt to avoid obvious capacity conflicts in air travel (for example, common Spring Break destinations mid-March through mid-April and high-cost cities with minimal capacity), and practice sessions at the championships site will be scheduled with cost-effective travel arrangements in mind.
• The NCAA will reimburse airline baggage charges for a maximum of two bags per traveler, including bags containing sports equipment.
• When reasonable bulk-ship options are available, the NCAA shall reimburse the lesser of the bulk-ship amount or the incremental cost by an airline or charter transporting the travel party. However, before implementing this policy, the NCAA will explore whether more efficient modes of bulk shipping exist.
• Sport committees will implement the use of NCAA “bracketing” software to determine brackets and preliminary match-ups. The information will not be the sole or even the primary driver in the bracketing process.
• NCAA staff will continue to work with commercial airlines and charter companies to enhance or expand current discounts.

The cabinet also considered an additional tier of recommendations but deferred action pending membership review:

• Increase the travel policy mileage-limitation from 300 miles to 350 miles for Division I men’s and women’s basketball and increase the policy regarding ground commute from the nearest airport to the championships site from 120 to 150 miles.
• Limit seeded teams to 25 percent of the bracket and require all sports (excluding men’s and women’s basketball) to adhere to the cabinet’s seeding/pairing principles. This includes a requirement that teams should be placed in brackets per NCAA Bylaw 31.1.3.2.5 (geographically).
• In sports other than men’s and women’s basketball, limit the mandated avoidance of conference match-ups to first-round games. For example, it would be permissible for teams from the same conference to play against each other in the second game of a regional.
• Establish a policy that discourages but does not prohibit selection of championship sites in high-cost destinations or remote locations from areas of heavy concentration of the likely participants. The policy would also discourage championships being hosted outside the continental U.S.
• Establish a policy in sports other than football that would exclude championship travel or competition Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week. If competition on this weekend is necessary, the contest should be scheduled to avoid air travel or require air travel Thursday, Saturday or Sunday. Wednesday air transportation would not be permitted.
• Impose a moratorium on bracket-expansion requests through the 2012-13 championship cycle.