The following addresses questions that have arisen concerning hiring for this position. The position will serve both men’s and women’s Division I coaches.

Job Description

• Legislation. Work on behalf of Division I coaches with the NCAA to initiate beneficial legislation and address legislation that could be harmful to the sport.
  
• Championships. Assist in promoting the Men’s and Women’s College Cups.
  
• Officiating. Serve as a liaison with NISOA.
  
• Marketing. Assist in the marketing and promotion of Division I soccer, including broader media coverage (e.g., television coverage).
  
• Communication. Communicate regularly and frequently with Division I coaches regarding these responsibilities and relevant topics.
  
• Internal liaison. Serve as staff liaison to the NSCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees. Report to the NSCAA Board of Directors regarding Division I issues.
  
• External liaison. Serve as staff liaison to NISOA, NCAA (championships, rules, governance) and professional leagues within the context of issues affecting Division I intercollegiate soccer.

Why is this position needed?
Division I men’s soccer faces a number of challenges (e.g., program elimination, issues with MLS). Division I women’s soccer has different challenges, but also great opportunities to become a “major” intercollegiate sport. Additionally, there are common issues and opportunities that need to be addressed for the good of the game.

Years of relying on voluntary committee leadership by coaches who have little time to devote to problems outside their own programs have proven to be ineffective. It’s time for centralized, paid leadership.

Why the NSCAA?
There is no more appropriate organization, one that represents coaches of both genders at all levels of the game. Certainly the NCAA isn’t going to provide such leadership. Someone working independently would not be able to take advantage of the administrative support provided in our national office or be able to effectively leverage other office resources, such as marketing, communications and membership support.

How is this position being funded?
Since taking over the services of the old Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America in the mid-1990s, the NSCAA has continued to charge an institutional fee – called College Services – to maintain a variety of programs for the college soccer community. Among these are rankings, the College Soccer Almanac, eligibility for the Team Academic and Team Ethics awards, distribution of NCAA rules books and expenses related to liaison with the NCAA.

To fund this position, while retaining traditional services, Division I coaches indicated in a survey last fall that they would be willing to pay an additional annual fee of $250 per program. Without that additional fee, it is highly unlikely that the NSCAA could fund such a position on a full-time basis. While college soccer always has been a key part of the NSCAA and provided much of its leadership, only 15 percent of the NSCAA total membership are college coaches (four-year institutions) and membership of Division I college coaches represents only about 3 percent. Existing NSCAA resources need to be allocated to various programs and constituencies, of which Division I college soccer represents only a small part.

What is the budget for this position?
If there is complete compliance with the $250 fee, a budget of approximately $125,000 would be realized. This would fund the position’s salary, benefits and administrative expense (e.g., travel).

As of mid-April, only about half that total had been received. Additional payments are expected in the next 10 weeks, which will increase that amount. With that in mind, the NSCAA Executive Committee has committed to going ahead with the hiring process and fund any shortfall out of the NSCAA general operating budget in an effort to underwrite the position at an appropriate level.

Why should my program pay if NSCAA is making up the difference?
A higher compliance rate also will ensure that the NSCAA can offer the best possible salary in order to attract the best candidates for the position. The more teams that pay, the more resources the position will have to work with, and therefore be more effective.

What is the hiring process for the position?
A Search Committee of eight Division I coaches (four from both the men’s and women’s side) and the NSCAA Executive Director is in place. Conference calls were conducted in the fall to review the job description, discuss the position profile and layout the hiring process.

The position was advertised last fall and more than 100 applications were received. However, for a variety of reasons, response to the $250 assessment was poor and the hiring process was put on hold in December.

That process will now begin again. The position has been re-advertised (to view the ad, CLICK HERE) and previous candidates re-contacted. The application deadline is May 31. In early June, the field of candidates will be narrowed to a small group of finalists, who will be interviewed in-person by the Search Committee in mid-June. It is hoped that the successful candidate will be on board by July 1 or shortly thereafter.

Will the $250 assessment be annual?
At this point, yes. Beginning with the 2006 season billing, which will be mailed in February 2006, the $250 fee will be incorporated as part of the College Services fee. Therefore, a single team's payment will be $400. Schools with both a men's and women's program will be able to take advantage of the combined fee of $750, a $25 savings per team. However, it is hoped that will be reduced or even eliminated in the future. In part, the person filling this position will be responsible for generating new sources of revenue that could be applied to funding the job.

What happens if my program does not pay?
NSCAA college services have always been optional. The only significant “penalty” for non-payment has been that your team will be ineligible for the rankings and for the Team Academic and Team Ethics awards. While that “penalty” still remains in effect for non-payment of the standard college services fee, it will not be applied this year to those that fail to pay the additional $250 assessment. However, that condition may be imposed in the future.

Why Division I only?
That was the very strong recommendation brought to the NSCAA Executive Committee by the leadership of the NSCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees. Issues, challenges and opportunities involving the Division I game directly certainly constitute a full-time job. Furthermore, charging additional fees to lower-division institutions may strain already thin budgets. It is hoped that there will be some “trickle-down” benefits for lower divisions, at least one new program will be initiated for NCAA Divisions II and III coaches, and a long-range goal would be to add a similar position(s) for non-Division I schools.

If I paid the $250 in the fall, do I need to pay again?
No. While some coaches have volunteered to do so, it was the feeling of the NSCAA Executive Committee that charging twice for services not yet rendered was inappropriate. The $250 payment – whether received in the fall or in the first half of 2005 – is designed to “seed” the position’s start-up funding.

How can I get additional information?
Contact Jim Sheldon, NSCAA executive director, at jsheldon@nscaa.com.