A series of proposals that would shorten playing seasons and reduce the maximum number of contests in eight sports is on its way to the Division II Management Council for review later this month.

Meeting jointly June 24, the Division II Legislation and Championships Committees co-sponsored a package that calls for later start dates for fall-sport student-athletes; and reduced contest limits in baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s golf.

The package also includes proposals to move the Division II Football Championship one week later and implement a restricted period during the winter holiday break.

The proposals began as concepts in Division II’s Life in the Balance initiative and emerged after months of discussion and feedback from within the governance structure and constituent groups, including coaches associations, the Conference Commissioners Association and the Athletics Directors Association. The Division II Presidents Council directed the review at the 2009 Convention to ensure that the division’s playing-and-practice-season policies align with the Division II strategic-positioning platform that emphasizes a balanced student-athlete educational experience.

Legislation Committee Chair Ann Martin, assistant athletics director at Regis (Colorado), said the proposals are a meaningful response to the Presidents Council’s charge of addressing whether student-athletes are spending too much time on the fields and courts.

“While the proposals still have to progress through the governance structure and ultimately a vote at the 2010 Convention, they were developed based on ample feedback from a wide variety of constituents,” Martin said. “The Legislation and Championships Committees believe these measures, if adopted, would have the kind of immediate impact the Presidents Council is seeking.”

Reporting dates

The reporting-date proposal, which applies only to student-athletes in fall sports, calls for football student-athletes to begin their preseason practice activities either 21 days before the first permissible contest date in Division II (which couldn’t be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or seven days before the start of classes at the institution, whichever is earlier.

In sports other than football, reporting dates would be 17 days before the first permissible contest (which also couldn’t be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or five days before the start of classes, whichever is earlier.

The idea is to reduce the burden on institutions having to house and feed student-athletes before classes begin, and to enhance student-athlete well-being and work-life balance for coaches and staff by extending the summer break.

The Legislation and Championships Committees considered requiring as part of the reporting-date concept the five-day acclimatization period currently in place for football for all sports but ended up supporting the following structure instead.

In sports other than football, on days before classes start, student-athletes would be able to devote six hours per day to countable athletically related activities, only five hours of which may be for weight training, strength conditioning or actual practice. Student-athletes would not be able to participate in physical activity for more than three hours at a time, with three consecutive hours of recovery time required between sessions.

The committees voted not to change start dates for practice or competition for winter sports. They also declined to support a concept that would have called for later start dates for spring sports.

Number of contests

As for game reductions, the following are being proposed:

• Field hockey – Reduce the maximum number of contests from 20 to 18 and retain the current championship dates.
• Men’s and women’s soccer – Reduce the maximum number of contests from 20 to 18 and retain the current championship dates.
• Women’s volleyball – Reduce the maximum number of dates of competition from 28 to 26 and retain the current championship dates.
• Baseball – Reduce the maximum number of contests from 56 to 50 and retain the current championship dates.
• Softball – Retain the current 56-game maximum but eliminate the tournament exception (meaning that each game played, even if multiple games are played in one day, counts toward the maximum).
• Men’s and women’s golf – Reduce the maximum number of dates of competition from 24 to 21.

All other sports, including basketball, football and lacrosse, are retaining their current maximums for now.

The game reductions in fall sports accompany the later reporting date that essentially shortens the season by one week (except in football, where a later start to the championship is being proposed). Rather than attempt to fit the same number of games in a smaller competition window, committee members proposed what essentially is a 10 percent reduction for soccer, field hockey and volleyball.

Maximum contest limits in other fall sports (football and cross country) were left alone because either there aren’t many contests to begin with or they are held predominantly on weekends and do not pose an issue of missed class time.

Baseball, softball and golf were the only non-fall sports to be adjusted.

In softball, while the maximum contest limit stayed at 56, the committees supported eliminating the sport’s “tournament exception,” which allows teams to count multiple games in one day as a contest date rather than separate games. That has led to teams with widely different game totals, often based on geography and access to competitions. Thus, while the contest limit would not change, the committees believe their action on the tournament exception will reduce contests overall and provide a more uniform pool of teams for postseason-selection purposes.

The effective date for these proposals is August 1, 2010; however, the committees noted that game contracts signed before August 6, 2009 (the date of the Presidents Council meeting) for games occurring between the Thursday preceding August 30 and the Thursday preceding September 6 would be honored. Contracts signed after August 6 will not be honored if the proposals are approved at the 2010 Convention.

The proposal to delay the football championship (which would be a policy change and not a Convention proposal) is the only one so far that affects postseason schedules. If approved, the Division II Football Championship game would be played on the same weekend as the Division I Football Championship (typically played that Friday) and the Division III Football Championship. NCAA officials are discussing with ESPN representatives how the move would affect broadcast opportunities. 

Restricted period for winter sports

The committees also endorsed a proposal declaring the seven days from December 20 through December 26 as off limits for competition and practice (no countable or voluntary athletically related activities).

The proposal varies from an earlier concept that would have let institutions choose seven consecutive days at any time between the last day of finals to the first day of the spring semester. After review, though, the committees were concerned that giving institutions the choice would present cumbersome scheduling challenges.

As such, the effective date for the winter-break proposal is August 1, 2010, though institutions may honor contracts signed before August 6, 2009, for games that occur December 20-26.

The new proposal also does not affect recruiting activities, which would have been restricted under the original concept. The committees asked that a possible “dead period” for recruiting during the winter break be considered as a future agenda item in the Life in the Balance pro

The committees also requested a review of how exempted contests (both annual and discretionary) and the non-championship segments apply to Life in the Balance principles.