Tier System

A Tier System is in place to establish clear expectations as well as identify what will be provided for each club. There will be five Tiers based on a set of Club Sports Requirements used to distinguish each tier while also holding all clubs accountable to the standards of the program.  The amount of money allocated to each club will be determined by their tier classification, with Tier 1 receiving the most and Tier 5 receiving the least.  An outline of how this funding may be used is below.

In March, the Club Sports Office will assess each team on their current tier progress and discuss their future classification for the following year.  At the end of the academic year in April, the Club Sports Office will collect and finalize all club activity in order to make a final determination regarding each team’s tier status for the following academic year.

Compliance in each tier category will be reviewed and decisions regarding movement up or down will be made accordingly.  Failure to meet designated minimum criteria will result in a letter from the Assistant Program Director for Club Sports outlining the team’s standing for the next academic year.  While a team may meet all requirements in their tier, there are no guarantees that they will move up to a higher tier.

  • If a team fails to meet the minimum number of competitions, they will be asked to provide in writing to the Club Sports office their justification for not fulfilling this requirement.
  • After review, the Club Sports Office will require the team to fulfill an additional 50 hours of service in their tier.
  • If the team fails to meet the additional requirements, they will be relocated to a lower tier(s) or will no longer be recognized as a Club Sport.

At the end of the evaluation period, a team must meet the minimum Tier 5 standards with the exception of Competitions (as stated above). If a team fails to meet the minimum Tier 5 standards, the following procedure will take place.

  • The team will be placed on probation for one calendar year and receive zero funding from Club Sports.
  • The term of the probation will run from August through April of the next academic year.
  • The team will use this year to meet all minimum Tier 5 standards.  If after their probationary year, the team meets all minimum Tier 5 standards, they will come off probation and receive funding for the following academic year.
  • If after their probationary year, the team fails to meet all minimum Tier 5 standards, they will be deactivated and removed from the Club Sports program.

 

If a team would like to move into a higher or lower Tier then their current classification, they will have an opportunity for this request when submitting their operating budget for the following academic year.

 

Club Sports Allocations will cover the cost for the following infrastructure fees:

  • Facilities
    • Funding will be provided for practice & games if on-campus accommodations are not available.
    • Funding will not be provided if on-campus accommodations are available and the team chooses to use facilities outside of the University offerings.
  • Safety
    • Police
    • EMT
    • Lifeguards
    • Event Staff
  • League Dues
  • Entry Fees
  • Equipment

Club Sports Allocations will not cover the following:

  • Officials/Judge Fees
  • Travel
  • Coaches’ Payment