National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Mar 5, 2010 8:28:28 AM

The NCAA national office has received the requisite number of requests to override legislation that requires institutional sports camps and clinics to be conducted within 100 miles of campus, except in football.

The legislation in question – Proposal No. 2009-51-B – has an immediate effective date.

It is the first time a proposal adopted in January (which requires more than a simple majority vote) has received enough requests to require the Legislative Council to reconsider its action.

The legislation is intended to address concerns that camps that occur significant distances from an institution's campus are being conducted for recruiting purposes. The change would also cut costs for institutions and reduce the burden on institutional personnel expected to work at camps and clinics.

The proposal was introduced into the cycle because some in the membership wanted to increase the scope of Proposal No. 2009-51-A, which limited the restriction to basketball. That proposal, introduced by the Championships/Sport Management Cabinet by way of the Men's Basketball Issues Committee, was supported by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Much of the objection to the proposal comes from interests other than basketball.

Institutions requesting the override cite longstanding camps and clinics that are held more than 100 miles from campus and point out that the legislation would give an advantage to institutions in metropolitan areas. Others argue that such camps help high school student-athletes and teams get more exposure at an affordable cost and provide a method of recruiting for coaches in sports with regional popularity (for example, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey).

"Satellite camps allow college coaches to take the camp experience to these areas to help promote the sport, while making it more affordable," one override request claimed. "Not every coach uses these camps for recruiting purposes."

The Legislative Council will reconsider the proposal in April. If the Council agrees to change its position, the proposal will be defeated and will not be sent for further membership comment. If the Council maintains its position, the Division I Board of Directors will review the measure at its April 29 meeting. If the Board does not address the proposal at that time, the membership will vote on the proposal at the 2011 NCAA Convention in San Antonio.

The Council also has a third option: modifying the proposal to narrow the scope (such as limiting it to basketball). If the Council takes that approach and adopts the modified proposal, it would be subject to another 60-day override period.

The override period for all legislation adopted in January ends March 17. At least 30 requests to override must be received for the legislation to be revisited. A total of 100 override requests is required to suspend legislation.