The following information was share by AVCA CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon in a letter to Division I women’s volleyball coaches on July 3, 2024:
I want to pass along a couple of updates, clarify some legislative processes, and encourage some action.
At the end of June, the Division I Council adopted a slate of legislative proposals, some of which will impact volleyball. Please note that you should always utilize your compliance office and conference as the authority for all legislation and interpretations.
UPDATES
- Recruiting Calendar: Adjustments to the recruiting calendar for Division I Women’s Volleyball.
- Questionnaires: There is no longer an exception that allows a questionnaire to be sent to a prospective student-athlete prior to the first permissible date to receive recruiting materials and electronic correspondence. This change is effective immediately.
- AVCA Showcase: This event was granted exception to the first permissible date of competition. An institution may participate in the event no more than two times in a four-year period. Participation is not exempt from an institution’s maximum dates of competition.
Legislative Process: The NCAA has historically adjusted and evolved the process by which legislation is proposed and approved. These changes have been significant over the past five years, and they have impacted Transformation Committee recommendations.
Prior to the pandemic, conferences and some committees had the authority to enter proposals into the legislative process. During the pandemic, a moratorium on new legislation was enacted and then adjusted after the work of the Transformation Committee. Currently, NCAA committees are the only entities that can enter proposals into the legislative process.
In the past year, through the comprehensive work of our Division I Head Coaches Committee (HCC), the AVCA has requested appropriate committees to support legislative actions. These have included the AVCA Showcase, recruiting calendar adjustments, and a legislative relief waiver to provide five additional days of practice for the 2024 season. All legislation was eventually submitted by an NCAA standing committee and passed.
For example, here is the process used for the work on the recruiting calendar:
The AVCA Division I Head Coaches Committee established a recruiting task force comprised of eight members of the HCC with broad conference representation (P4, Mid Major, FBS, FCS). That group was charged with recommending modifications to the current Division I Women’s Volleyball Recruiting Calendar to the HCC. Factors considered were:
- Increasing recruiting opportunities in January/February when clubs are competing and colleges have not started their non-championship segment of their playing season.
- Establishing quiet periods during the non-championship segment to provide better development and training opportunities for current student-athletes.
- Maintaining periods of time for coaches to manage a balance of responsibilities using quiet and dead periods.
- Addressing concerns around recruiting and visits occurring during late December.
- Considering all options and adjustments to the current calendar.
Following five months of work, which included virtual and in-person meetings, the recruiting task force presented a series of recommendations to the HCC at its February meeting. The HCC unanimously approved the recommendations and sent out the recommended adjustments to all Division I Head Coaches for comments.
A modest number of remarks were submitted by coaches regarding the recommendations, with feedback generally split between those who felt the changes were too restrictive and those who believed they were not restrictive enough. Based on the small amount of opposition, the HCC unanimously moved for the recommendations to be submitted to the SAEC requesting these changes be entered into the legislative process.
These recommendations included:
- Opening a new contact period between January and February.
- Establishing quiet periods from Monday through Thursday during March and early April.
- Establishing a dead period at the end of December.
- Clarifying incidental contact during the AVCA Awards Banquet with any prospect.
The SAEC entered legislation to be considered, which was forwarded to the Division I Council and adopted this June, effective August 1, 2024.
About the AVCA Division I Head Coaches Committee (HCC): The HCC is a representative governing body within the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The HCC is comprised of a representative from each of the 32 Division I conferences. The Chair of the committee is the AVCA Division I Women’s Representative on the Board of Directors. That position is elected by the full Division I membership of the AVCA. All meeting minutes and full recordings are distributed to all Division I Head Coaches.
Request for Action: We are currently operating in the most transformative time in the history of intercollegiate athletics. While no one knows what our industry will look like in two to three years, I can assure you it will be significantly different. As coaches and leaders of our sport, it is critical that you stay informed and aware of the challenges and changes being managed at institutional, conference, and national levels.
I appreciate that some institutions do a better job passing on information than others. Please do not wait to be informed. Take the initiative to investigate and engage in productive conversations on how we navigate these changes. The more informed we are, the better we will be able to address the issues in front of us.
I encourage you to read through the email updates from the good work of the HCOC and watch the recordings sent out by Jason Jones.
As you become aware of decisions being made at your institutions and conferences, please pass that information along so we can get a better picture of the overall landscape and strategies being implemented.
As always, if you have any questions, ideas, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here to serve you and the volleyball community.