Starting a Club Sport

The New Club Development (NCD) process occurs at the beginning of every semester to grant new teams access to benefits. Representatives from each advisory board sit on the Council of Advisory Boards (CAB), which oversees the process. 

The process takes a minimum of one semester. If the team makes it through the process, it will receive Access to Benefits in the following semester. Club Sports teams must adhere to additional ABCS regulations in conjunction with the NCD guidelines:

  • Ability to get field and court space on Cooper Field, with Campus Recreation, and/or studio spaces (HFSC, Bulldog Alley, etc.).
  • Competitions against other intercollegiate teams.
  • Membership in an organized league with a governing body. 

Tentative Timeline

NCD Information Sessions: Attendance at one of the information sessions is required to enter the process.

Submission of Proposal: A proposal stating the mission of your club must be submitted, as well as a tentative list of participants, a projected budget, and what you need from ABCS to run your team.

Review of Proposal: CAB will review all proposals and either move clubs directly into the formal NCD process, ask clubs to present to CAB or deny the request.

Presentation to CAB: Any club not moved directly into the NCD process or denied outright, will give a short presentation to CAB to explain the nature of their organization. After this presentation, the club will either move into the NCD process or be denied entry.

Formal NCD Process: There will be at least two months’ worth of the formal NCD process and then present the results to ABCS at the end of the semester. Teams must fulfill each of these requirements:

  1. Three events/activities, in which the 12 members, or 80% of the interested membership submitted at the beginning of the NCD process (whichever is higher), attend:
    • At least one “inward” focused event, such as:
      • General Body Meeting
      • Practice/Rehearsal
      • Retreat
      • Member Workshop
    • At least one “outward” focused event, such as:
      • Co-sponsored event with another organization
      • Event open to the campus community
  1. For each event/activity, an Assessment Form must be completed, and one of the following must be provided or occur:
    • Program or flyer from the event/activity
    • Picture or video of the event/activity
    • Minutes and attendance record
    • Have an ABCS member attend (if available)
  2. Organizational Constitution
    • Must comply with the University’s constitution guide
    • Must be submitted in draft format by the established deadline (before final NCD submission) and revised to meet University and ABCS standards, if necessary
  3. Presentation to the Advisory Board for Club Sports, including
    • Final mission or purpose statement
    • A brief overview of NCD requirements met
    • 5-Year Strategic Plan
    • Resources necessary to ensure success
    • Anticipated budget
    • Plan for officer transition and organizational sustainability

Switching Advisory Boards

Groups who have already completed the NCD process with another advisory board and want to switch to ABCS must go through the Formal NCD Process with ABCS and present to the board why being a part of the Club Sports community is more appropriate to their mission statement and purpose. At the end of the NCD process, ABCS will vote on whether or not they approve to accept this group to ABCS; if not, the group will remain on their current advisory board.