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The NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee will meet on Jan. 28 to review a proposal to change the playing season model.
If all goes well, NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer will play its first new season in 2027-28.
• Final review: The NCAA Division I Cabinet would have the final review when it meets June 23-24.
The new playing season model was presented to coaches at the NCAA Division I men’s soccer meeting at the United Soccer Coaches in Philadelphia. The next step is to get feedback this winter from universities and their athletic departments.
• Split seasons: The coaches’ subcommittee proposes to split the regular season into two windows:
• Preseason training camp starting in late August, then September-November regular season;
• Winter training camp opening in early February ahead of a February-April regular season with the tournament moved into April-May (May 12-15 target for the finals).
• Redistribution of dates. Teams will still operate within a 132-day window when players can play and practice. The proposal includes a few off-days (fall and spring breaks) to keep the schedule within the current 132-day window.
• Scheduling options: Teams will be limited to 25 games and exhibitions. But the key here is flexibility: some teams and conferences might want to concentrate play in the fall; others might spread their dates more evenly over the fall and spring.
A men’s soccer proposal dubbed the 21st Century Model had momentum going into 2020, but Covid cut that short. The NCAA Division I Council tabled a 21st Century Model proposal and other legislation in 2022.
Presenters expressed optimism for the current NCAA legislation proposal because the decision makers are “soccer people making soccer decisions.”
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Today 6/23 and tomorrow 6/24 – The NCAA D1 Cabinet – will consider the The Split Fall-Spring Calendar for Division 1 Men’s Soccer and the for all Division 1 Sports – the Age Base Eligibility Model. It is said the Age Based Eligibility Model is pretty much a lock, players already enrolled with eligibility remaining like my son, will have the option to keep current rules or the new Age Based Model. The Split Fall-Spring Calendar for D1 Men’s Soccer is likely to be passed without action but it could also get ammendmended and passed or tabled and sent back to D1 Mens’ Soccer Oversight Committee for further revision. In the past other sports like field hockey and other sports that share fields and field maintenance and operations groups have been opposed to this change. Since is now clear it does not add any games, and it does eliminates clutter and oversuse where womens soccer shares the pitch and will still play all games in the fall, it perhaps will be passed. We will see. For those interested, the committe report will be released and available here – http://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/8/membership-division-i-committees.aspx – Good day.
Seems logical, glad NCAA is finally paying attention to the sport. though if spreading to spring why would all the games still be played in the fall or am I missing something?
well dnp so this is because of politics and a rushed or less a less than thorough consideration of contingencies. How could you not account for student joining in Winter semester? Also lurking in background are the facilities people who will be given ok, less work in fall but MORE in spring, you MUST understand their context, reach out, have solutions. Finally this belies the little known truth about D1 college soccer, the girls rule. Nearly every mens locker room paid for by women. This is bc title 9 was head count AND financial parity –
so girls pay and share. Everyone on inside knows this. There is still an arrogance on the men’s side a bit. Complete flop this. Will likely delay a year or more.
UPDATE: 5 Year Eligibility Model passed – Men’s D1 Soccer Fall-Spring – remanded – did not pass – because 20 conferences opposed as failed to address mid year entrants (and exits) and the consensus was the effect on academic experience needs further study and clarity.