National Collegiate Athletic Association

Division III

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DIII mobile website serves as identity resource

By Jack Copeland
For NCAA.org

A new mobile website developed by Division III enables coaches to easily access and use identity-initiative resources during visits with prospective student-athletes and their parents.

The resource, which includes links to Division III talking points, identity videos and social media channels, is available here. It also features sport-specific information to provide coaches with pertinent news and information at their fingertips.

It is designed for use on any variety of smart phones or tablet computers, regardless of manufacturer or operating system. All that is required for use of the site is a web browser.

The website was developed in part to make better use of an “identity toolkit” that was published for the Division III membership when the identity initiative began in 2010.

It can be used by anyone at institutions and conferences who wish to share Division III’s messaging with various audiences.

“For some time, we have wanted to make the messaging in our identity toolkit more practically usable for our membership,” said Dan Dutcher, NCAA Division III vice president. “The website provides a way for coaches to visually share Division III’s unique student-athlete experience, especially when they meet with prospective student-athletes and their parents. They can use a mobile device to show the videos we have produced regarding the Division III identity, or review talking points, or easily find materials they may wish to share with high school coaches, guidance counselors and others who are influential in helping students make decisions about participating in intercollegiate athletics.”

The homepage of the mobile website displays several icons, which link to sources for Division III facts and figures; news feeds; official Division III videos; and talking points and suggestions for use in visiting with prospective student-athletes, parents, and high school coaches and counselors.

Additional icons link users to Division III’s social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; and to various coaching resources, including the websites for coaches associations in every sport in which Division III conducts national championships.

The identity toolkit previously has existed only as a printed resource or as a web-based document that isn’t compatible with mobile devices.

This first version of the mobile resource was designed for coaches because they often are the first individuals to have contact with prospective student-athletes and their parents.

NCAA staff members will provide additional information about the mobile website during the coming year at coaches association meetings. 

Jack Copeland is a consultant to the Division III identity initiative.