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AVCA Legislative Proposal - NCAA Division I

NOTE: Please review this legislative proposal and concepts, then render a preliminary vote to your conference's AVCA Head Coaches Committee representative no later than May 5th as this will be the date the committee convenes on teleconference and votes as a group on the issue.

Recruiting Calendar: Eliminating the Quiet Period

There is a proposal that will be reviewed during the next legislative cycle to eliminate the quiet period outlined below:

* January 1 through the Friday prior to President's Weekend Tournament
* May 1 through Friday prior to Memorial Weekend

Rationale In Support of this Proposal:

* The January and May quiet periods force volleyball programs to cram the non-traditional season into an uncomfortable time frame in order to evaluate prospects as well as coach the current team.
* Eliminating the January and May quiet periods eliminate the recruiting advantage for those who are able to coach club teams (all programs will simply have 80 days and can choose how and when to use those 80 days throughout the recruiting calendar). This proposal would level the playing field for those programs who do not have coaches who coach club teams.
* Current restrictions severely penalize mid-major and smaller programs who regularly finish recruiting during the late signing period.
* There are certain high schools that play their traditional volleyball season during the winter and the current quiet periods (January and May) restrict coaches from being able to evaluate/contact these prospects.
* Unsigned seniors would have more opportunity to be evaluated.
* This proposal creates flexibility for coaches to coach when they want to, not when they have to.

Rationale Opposed to this Proposal:

* The recruiting calendar was designed to create a more friendly work environment for coaches in this sport. Coaches feel obligated to recruit (evaluate & contact) during all times of the year. The quiet periods provide an opportunity for coaches to step away from the recruiting aspect which promotes longevity in the business.
* This proposal will not solve the challenge of coaches interacting with prospects when coaching club teams. The intercollegiate coaches who coach club teams will still have access to these prospects without having to count as an off-campus recruiter.
* This proposal does not even the playing field because only those schools who have larger recruiting budgets can afford to recruit throughout the year.
* There is a concern that without the quiet periods in effect currently, there is no legitimate way to enforce the limit of 80 evaluation days.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

* Legislate that every time a college coach is coaching a club team at any tournament, it counts as a day and toward their limit of two coaches on the road.

* Shorten the January/February quiet period but keep May so coaches can have a year end break. NOTE: Please review these ideas and concepts and render a preliminary vote to your conference's HCC representative no later than May 5th as this will be the date the committee convenes on teleconference and votes as a group on the issue.