University of Notre Dame
Athletics Compliance Office
Recreational Sports Compliance Reminders
Extra Benefits
General Rule
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives or friends a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution’s students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g. foreign students, minority students) determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.
Gambling
General Rule
Athletics department staff members are prohibited from knowingly participating in sports wagering activities or providing information to individuals involved with or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.
Tryout Rule
General Rule
A member institution, on its campus or elsewhere, shall not conduct (or have conducted on its behalf) any physical activity (e.g., practice session or test/tryout) at which one or more prospective student-athletes reveal, demonstrate or display their athletics abilities in any sport.
Providing Instruction to Prospects
In general, it is impermissible for an employee of the athletics department to give private lessons to a prospect. This restriction also applies to personal training. There are specific guidelines that, if met, would allow for a ND athletics department staff member to provide lessons to a prospect. The conditions are as follows:
1) The staff member is a coach of a local sports club;
2) The prospects involved with the coach’s club reside within a 50 mile radius;
3) The instruction provided must be to an individual who is a member of the club.
Exceptions to the Tryout Rule
Open Events
Participation by a prospect in open events conducted by or held on the campus of an institution shall not be considered tryouts. Competition is considered to be open if the competitive event itself is not classified by age group or level of educational institution represented, and the selection of participants is not limited except by number, by geographical area or on the basis of some objective standard of performance.
Activities Not Involving Institution’s Staff
The use of an institution’s facilities for physical activities by a group that includes prospects shall not be considered a tryout, provided the institution’s athletics department staff members or representatives of its athletics interests are not involved in the conduct, promotion or administration of the activity (other than activities incidental to supervising the use of the facilities).
High School, Preparatory School and Two-Year College Practice and Competition
The regular or emergency use of a member institution’s facilities by a high school, preparatory school or two-year college athletics team for its normal practice activities (conducted solely by its coaches) or for regularly scheduled contests (conducted solely by those participating schools) shall not be considered tryouts, provided the following conditions are met:
1)The competition is approved by the appropriate state or national authority; and
2)The institution and representatives of its athletics interests are not involved in any way in the invitation or selection of participating schools or individuals.
Use of Institution’s Facilities
Use of Institution’s Facilities by a High School, Preparatory School or Two-Year College
If an institution conducts a high-school, preparatory school or two-year college contest on its campus, it may incur the costs related to conducting such a contest (e.g. maintenance costs, rental fees) but the high school, preparatory school or two-year college may not realize any other financial compensation (e.g. transportation expenses, guarantee, percentage of income) from the contests. If the high school, preparatory school or two-year college does not incur any of the costs related to the competition held on its campus, they may realize income from the contest, such as ticket sales or concessions.
Use of Institution’s Facilities by Student-Athletes/Fee-For-Lesson Instruction
A student-athlete may receive compensation for teaching or coaching sport skills or techniques in his or her sport on a fee-for-lesson basis, provided:
1)Institutional facilities are not used;
2)Playing lessons shall not be permitted;
3)The institution obtains and keeps on file documentation of the recipient of the lesson(s) and the fee for the lesson(s) provided during any time of the year;
4)The compensation is paid by the lesson recipient (or the recipient’s family) and not another individual or entity;
5)Instruction to each individual is comparable to the instruction that would be provided during a private lesson when the instruction involves more than one individual at a time;
6)The student-athlete does not use his or her name, picture or likeness to promote or advertise the availability of fee-for-lesson sessions.
Use of Facilities by Former Student-Athletes
NCAA rules prohibit institutions from providing benefits to former student-athletes. Such benefits would include free memberships and/or services and use of facilities at no charge.
Employment
Employment of Student-Athletes
A student-athlete is permitted to pursue employment opportunities outside of and within the university (including the athletics department) provided the following conditions are met:
1)The student-athlete must submit a completed Employment Form to the Compliance Office prior to the start of any employment;
2)The student-athlete’s compensation may not include any remuneration for value or utility that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, fame or personal following that he or she has obtained because of athletics ability;
3)The student-athlete is compensated only for work actually performed; and
4)The student-athlete is compensated at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
Employment of Prospects at Institutional Athletics Events/Facilities
Prior to Completion of Senior Year –Non Athletics Award Winners. An institution’s athletics department may employ a prospect who is not an athletics award winner and not recruited by the institution, provided the employment was arranged through normal institutional procedures (e.g. local newspaper, bulletin board listings). Any compensation received by the prospect must be for work actually performed and commensurate with the going rate for such services in that locale.
Prior to Completion of Senior Year –Athletics Award Winners.An institution may employ a prospect who is an athletics award winner in any department outside of athletics, provided the employment was arranged through normal institutional employment procedures and without the intervention of any member of the coaching staff. Any compensation received by the prospect must be for work actually performed and commensurate with the going rate for such services in that locale. For purposes of this Bylaw, institutional recreation programs, even if reporting to the athletics director, may be considered outside the intercollegiate athletics department. An institution may hire an athletics award winner prospect in its recreation programs, only if recreation and facility managers and no intercollegiate coaches are involved with the hiring and supervision of these employees.
Subsequent to Completion of Senior Year. An institution may arrange for employment or employ any prospect (regardless of athletics award winner status), provided the employment does not begin prior to the completion of the prospect’s senior year in high school.