STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONS THAT CHOOSE TO USE MALE PRACTICE PLAYERS IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

Since intercollegiate sports for women exist primarily to enhance the higher education experience for those students who participate, it is expected that institutional policies and practices in all NCAA women's sports be designed to:

1. Be in compliance with all applicable NCAA, conference and institutional rules regarding the use of male practice players;

2. Ensure positive and quality participation experiences for all female student-athletes;

3. Provide opportunities for growth and development as individual student-athletes and as teams;

4. Include experiences for skill development in all segments of the academic year regardless of starting position or role on the teams;

5. Furnish occasions to showcase skills acquisition and utilization in competitive settings;

6. Make available opportunities to earn additional playing time through continuing skills acquisition;

7. Create a safe environment in which to practice and compete;

8. Maintain roster sizes appropriate for practice and competition with a full team of female student-athletes;

9. Present exposure to talented, committed female coaches and support staff members such as trainers, managers, and equipment room staff;

10. Serve as pre-professional learning environments for women who aspire to careers in coaching;

11. Result in long-term changes judged to be in the best interest of the sport;

12. Reflect the mission and values of the athletics department and the institution as a whole relative to equality and opportunity;

13. Foster an equitable environment among sports programs and student-athletes;

14. Send a positive message regarding the value of athletics participation and the caliber of skill and competition in women’s athletics; and

15. Afford periodic review to ensure these goals continue to be met by:

a. Institutional review through such vehicles as student-athlete exit interviews;

b. Ongoing NCAA research regarding the number of student-athletes on squads, the number of grant-in-aid student-athletes and the number of male practice players utilized; and

c. A membership survey regarding the general use of male practice players conducted approximately every four years. (Note: If the general use survey would indicate a concerning trend, a more detailed survey and examination would follow.)

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