This information is a compilation of NCAA legislation and interpretations that is designed to answer some common questions regarding camps and clinics. By no means does this document cover every aspect of camps and clinics legislation, and any additional questions should be addressed to the Compliance Coordinator. It is better to ask first than find out you were wrong later!
There are two types of camps: institutional and privately-owned. Each has its own requirements and regulations.
An institutional camp is any camp or clinic that is owned or operated by a member institution or an employee of the athletic department and in which prospective student-athletes participate. The camp may be either on- or off-campus. In order to be considered an owner of a camp, one must own a majority of the camp (51 percent). In order to be considered an operator of a camp, one must be personally and directly responsible for the management and operation of the camp or clinic.
An institutional camp:
It is not permissible for an institution to conduct a camp or clinic that does not include instruction but only involves sessions or tests/tryouts at which prospects reveal, demonstrate, or display athletics abilities in any sport. Such a camp would be considered an impermissible tryout.
A privately-owned camp is one owned by an individual not associated with a member institution. Staff members may not serve in any capacity (e.g., guest lecturer, consultant) at a privately owned camp, clinic, or coaching school in which a high-school, prep school, or two-year college athletics award winner is employed. Additionally, football and basketball staff may not be employed by (either on a salaried or volunteer basis) or lecture at a privately owned football or basketball camp or clinic in which prospective student-athletes of either gender participate.
No athletics department staff member may be employed (either on a salaried or volunteer basis) by a camp or clinic established, sponsored, or conducted by an individual or organization that provides recruiting or scouting services concerning prospective student-athletes.
Department of Athletics personnel may not be involved in a camp that is open to participants on an invitation-only basis, except to the extent that coaches, upon the request of the sponsor of a private camp, may identify a list of potential prospects to attend the camp. The opportunity for identification of prospects must be made available to all coaches, no coach may be involved in selecting who will be invited to attend, and the prospects who attend the camp must be informed the selection process is not based on the recommendation of any specific coach.
Diversified sports camps, specialized sports camps, and developmental clinics are types of both institutional and privately owned camps. A diversified sports camp is one that offers a balanced camping experience, including participation in seasonal summer sports and recreational activities, without emphasis on instruction, practice, or competition in any particular sport. A specialized sports camp is one that places special emphasis on a particular sport(s) and provides specialized instruction in the sport(s). A developmental clinic is designed to develop fundamental skills in a sport, is open to the general public (except for restrictions in age or number of participants), is conducted by and subject to the control of the member institution, is conducted primarily for educational purposes and does not include material benefits for the participants, does not include a recruiting presentation for prospects, and includes only participants who reside in the state of within 100 miles of campus.
PARTICIPANTS
Institutional sports camps and clinics must be open to any and all entrants (limited only by number and age). Senior prospects (those who are eligible for admission to a member institution or who have started classes for the senior year in high school) may participate in institutional sports camps and clinics except in the sport of football. A prep school or two-year college student is considered to be a senior prospect for purposes of this rule. Football prospects may only attend a camp or clinic provided they do not participate in any physical activities. Camp and clinic participants should be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and not on an invitation-only basis.
It is the policy of the University of Richmond that the minimum age for day campers is eight years old. Overnight campers must be at least ten years old.
EMPLOYEES
Athletics Department Staff Members
A restricted earnings coach may be employed at any institutions camp. There is no limit on the amount of compensation that may be provided to restricted earnings coaches.
A volunteer coach may not receive compensation from a sports camp or clinic conducted by the University or its Department of Athletics or owned/operated by an departmental employee. In sports other than football and basketball, a volunteer coach may receive compensation for owning or operating a sports camp or clinic provided that the camp or clinic is not conducted by nor is compensation received from the University's Department of Athletics.
Division I basketball and football coaches may not be employed by (either on a salaried or volunteer basis) or lecture at a privately owned football or basketball camp or clinic in which prospective student-athletes participate.
No Department of Athletics staff member may serve in any capacity at a privately owned sports camp or clinic in which a high school, prep school, or two-year college athletics award winner is employed.
Department of Athletics personnel may not be involved in a privately owned invitation only camp except by providing a list of potential prospects to attend the camp
Camps or conferences conducted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are exempt from the restrictions on camps and clinics.
No athletics department staff member may be employed (either on a salaried or volunteer basis) by a camp or clinic established, sponsored, or conducted by an individual or organization that provides recruiting or scouting services for/about prospects.
Student-Athletes
A student-athlete's employment at the University's camp or clinic must be preapproved in writing by the Director of Athletics. He/she must perform duties that are of a general supervisory character. Any coaching or officiating assignments may not represent more than one-half of the student-athlete's work time. A student-athlete must be paid at a rate commensurate with the going rate for camp counselors with like teaching ability and experience. Compensation may not be based on the value the he/she may have for the employer due to his/her reputation. Student-athlete employees must be compensated from the camp's general account and not from a coach's personal account. At the University's own camp, the student-athlete may not participate in organized practice activities other than during the institution's playing season in the sport.
A student-athlete employee may receive actual travel expenses (including lodging and meals in transit and prepaid plane tickets or cash advances) only if such travel expense are paid and procedures for reimbursement of expenses are used for all employees of the camp or clinic. Cash advances on anticipated earnings may be provided only if such advances do not exceed the estimated actual and necessary coast of travel or the student-athlete's estimated employment earnings, whichever is less, and all camp employees are eligible for such an advance. Actual transportation from an institution's coach or representative of its' athletics interests may be provided to a student-athlete only if travel expenses are paid for all employees of the camp or clinic.
A four-year college transfer student who has received a release or who has officially withdrawn from the original institution may not be enrolled, participate in, or be employed at any member institution's summer camp during the summer prior to enrollment (i.e., the student's first day of class or first day of official practice, whichever is earlier).
There are no limits on the number of student-athletes in a particular sport who may be employed in camps and clinics. Currently enrolled student-athletes may not participate as campers in their institution's camps or clinics.
Enrolled student-athletes may not own or operate their own camp.
The University (or an employee of the Department of Athletics) may not employ members of its football squad as counselors in any of its camps or clinics, except as follows:
A member of the University's football squad who has eligibility remaining may not be employed or otherwise participate in the University's football camp. He may be employed in any camp that specializes in the sport of football other than his own institution's camp provided not more than one football student-athlete from any one Division I institution is employed at each camp.
A football student-athlete may be employed in any diversified camp (including his own institution's), provided not more than one student-athlete of any one Division I institution from the previous year's football squad with eligibility remaining is employed.
Prospects
No high school, prep school, or two-year college athletics award winners may be employed in any capacity at an institutional camp. This prohibition includes anyone the Department of Athletics is recruiting regardless of whether or not the individual lettered (e.g., played club only) and any prospects who have signed a National Letter of Intent with any institution but have not yet matriculated as full-time students. A prospect may not volunteer to work a camp even if he/she is willing to pay the cost of attending the camp in order to work. Athletics award winners may not be employed in privately owned camps in which a member institution's coach is involved as a guest lecturer, consultant, etc. even if the prospect is not employed during any time while the coach is present.
High School, Prep School, and Two-Year College Coaches
High school, prep school, or two-year college coaches may receive an honorarium or fee from the University for speaking or participating at an institutional camp or clinic. The University must be able to document that the honorarium or fee provided is commensurate with similar fees paid to others for like services. High school, prep school, and two-year college coaches may not be reimbursed based on the number of campers they send to a particular camp.
Concessions
Concessions may be provided at a camp or clinic. Prospective student-athletes may not own or operate a concession stand. Enrolled student-athletes may be employed at the concessions stand but may not own their own concession stand.
FEES AND CHARGES
Discounts
Free or reduced admission privileges may not be provided to high school, prep school, or two-year college athletics award winners by the University, its staff, or its athletics representatives. Athletic representatives may not pay any prospect's expenses to attend any camp or clinic. Free or reduced admission may be provided to other participants. If an athletic award winner is part of a group receiving a discount available to a group of a specified size, he/she may also receive the discount. Group discounts may be offered to coaches and students provided the discounts are available on an equal basis with documented standards to all who wish to take advantage of them.
Outside amateur sports organizations (e.g., Boys Club, YMCA) may provide actual and necessary expenses for a participant to attend a private summer camp. Such a group may provide expenses to attend an institutional camp only if the recipients are not high school, prep school, or two-year college athletes.
Children of camp or clinic staff members may receive free or reduced admission as long as the same opportunity is available to children of all camp or clinic employees. For high school, prep school, or two-year college coaches who serve as camp or clinic employees and receive free or reduced admission for their children, the benefit must be considered part of the compensation for the camp or clinic.
Children of faculty or staff of the University may receive free or reduced admission as long as the reduced admission is available to the children of all staff/faculty. It is permissible to provide free admission only to the children of the Department of Athletics without providing this benefit to all other University employees.
Awards and Merchandise
The cost of awards must be included in the admission fee charged to all participants.
Free merchandise may not be provided to campers or clinic participants unless it is part of the registration fee and provided to all participants.
Transportation and Equipment
Local transportation (i.e., to and from the airport) may be provided for campers as long as it is available to all participants. Local transportation may not be provided for one camper but not another with the same need.
The University may loan athletic equipment (e.g., football helmet, softball bat) that is necessary for participation to prospects attending the University's camp.
SCHEDULING
With the exception of football and basketball, institutional sports camps and clinics may be held at any time. A Division I football or basketball institutional camp or clinic involving prospects must be held during June, July, or August. In the sports of football and basketball, only developmental clinics may be held during the academic year.
BROCHURES AND ADVERTISING
It is permissible to use the name or picture of a student-athlete employed as a counselor to publicize or promote an institutional sports camp or clinic. Student-athletes may not be paid for using their name or picture in such advertising.
It is permissible to advertise in publications (other than high school or two-year college game programs) that provide information about the athletics participation or evaluation of prospects provided the publication:
These restrictions do not apply to ads for institutional camps or clinics in nonrecruiting publications such as the University's game programs. It is permissible to advertise in the sports section of a commercial newspaper.
Camp brochures are considered permissible recruiting materials and may be sent to prospects prior to September 1 of their junior year in high school.
CORPORATE OR OUTSIDE SPONSORSHIP
Corporate sponsors may participate in institutional camps/clinics provided they are not involved with prospects. An institution may not have a corporate cosponsor for a camp for the purpose of permitting prospects to attend at reduced admission rates. A corporate sponsor may provide free admission to participants who are not high school, prep school, or two-year college athletics award winners and who have not been recruited by the institution, provided such admission is available to any individual on the basis of need.
A corporate sponsor for an institutional camp or clinic may not provide transportation to prospects. Individuals who have not yet started classes for the ninth grade or otherwise been recruited may receive such transportation as long as transportation was available to all such individuals.
GENERAL NOTES AND INTERPRETATIONS
Recruiting calendar exceptions do not apply to coaches working at camps or clinics. Coaches wishing to observe a camp or clinic must comply with appropriate recruiting periods. A member of the University's basketball coaching staff may attend only institutional basketball camps and noninstitutional organized events held during the July evaluation period that are certified per Bylaw 30.15.
It is not permissible for camp administrators to arrange for videotaping of a camp or clinic for the purpose of selling the videotape to institutions. It is permissible for a prospect to receive a videotape of a camp or clinic, provided the cost is covered in the cost of admission to the camp.
ACTION
All coaches who own or operate an institutional camp must complete a Camp Description Form and Sports Camp/Clinic Staff and Compensation Form prior to the beginning of the camp. (copies attached)
All coaches working at another institution's camp must complete an Outside Camp/Clinic Employment Form. If income from such a camp will exceed $500, the employment arrangement must be pre-approved by the University's President. (copy attached)
All student-athletes employed at an institutional camp must complete a Release for UR Student-Athlete to Work at UR Camp Clinic. (copy attached)
All basketball student-athletes wishing to participate in a summer basketball league must complete a Summer Basketball League Regulations Student-Athlete Statement and Summer Basketball League Permission Request Form. (copies attached)
All basketball coaches wishing to evaluate prospects at a summer basketball event must submit a list of all events they plan to attend. The Recruiting Coordinator will make sure the event is certified. This step must be done before the evaluation occurs.