NFCA RESOLUTIONS
The NFCA is not a rule making body, but each annual meeting is devoted to adoption of recommendations to the NCAA, ASA, NFHS, and NAIA – as well as changes in its own bylaws.
The continuing frustration of college coaches at all levels with fall exposure tournaments for Junior Olympic-age players was well vented again – the arguments are there are too many tournaments and some are too large and do not offer segregated groups of eligible juniors and seniors for evaluation and recruitment. While SPY privately tasked some of the organizers behind these resolutions for failing to take into account that these tournaments serve multiple purposes – such as fund raising and competition to improve the level of JO play, as well as fund raising – the college coaches seem determined to improve the recruiting process, or at least make it easier for Division I coaches to evaluate players.
To that end, the D-1 coaches accepted and then modified a proposal which originated in the Travel Ball caucus, which was adopted:
To recommend to the NFCA that it establish an ad hoc recruiting committee, made up of selected college coaches with participation by high school and travel ball coaches, that would address questions about the recruiting process. Questions may include (1) how to better prepare athletes for college softball; (2) how does the recruiting process work; (3) how should the prospects be showcased; and (4) what tournaments or showcases should they attend. Rationale: to work together to develop good communications between the two groups and develop some recommendations for the recruiting process.
As originally proposed by the travel ball caucus, the resolution would have created an NFCA committee of virtual equals. The amended version (see underline) ensures, the D-1 coaches said, that it is a college coaches committee which will seek input from these other sources.
At least some college coaches would still like to see sanctioned showcases – and these would follow an individual player exposure format, rather than team competition – and college coaches would attend only those sanctioned showcases.
A long voyage – just begun. Travel ball coaches obviously share the goal of securing college scholarships for all their eligible players, but in caucus they noted that these tournaments – for which they also have some well-founded criticisms – serve other purposes than recruitment.
The D-1 group narrowly defeated a recommendation to the NCAA to include the month of September as a quiet period on the NCAA calendar. High school games would have been exempt.
The D-1 coaches did agree on a recommendation to NCAA to eliminate the one-time transfer exception for softball.
The high school coaches passed a recommendation to NFHS to allow HS players to wear metal cleats. And they recommended that NFHS rules require a pitcher to begin with both feet on the rubber.
NAIA coaches recommended that the NAIA reduction in playing dates be rescinded.
Division II coaches recommended to NCAA that their maximum equivalencies be increased from 7.2 to 9.0.
Finally, the NFCA board agreed to study a recommendation to USA Softball that the process for choosing Olympic coaches be amended; the complaint was that bthere were no female coaches for the 2004 team.
Again, recommendations to other bodies with rule making authority are not binding.
end