GUIDE TO
CLUB SPORT
ORGANIZATIONS
(Smith College)

Guide to Club Sport Organizations

Club sports exist at Smith College to provide an outlet for students to participate in sports that are both competitive and recreational. All students are welcome to participate from novices to experienced athletes. Clubs exist to give students the opportunity to experience being part of team, assume leadership positions and to establish an outlet for physical activity as well as foster appreciation for a large spectrum of different sports. Club sports are organized and run by students and draw from dues, fundraisers and the college's student government. This guide should assist the student leaders of club sports in organizing their clubs.

Because club sports are both a student organization and an athletic pursuit, assistance and collaboration between student affairs and athletics is essential to the success of the club sport program.  The following policies and procedures should clarify this unique structure and simplify the processes for club sports.

Personnel

There are many people who can assist club sports in their activities.  A few key professional staff members work most closely with club sports.

Coordinator of Club Sports:  This person, a member of the athletics department, will assist with all operations of club sports.  Bonnie May, Assistant Athletic Director, x2713

Athletic Facilities Manager:  Will schedule all practices and competitions, and assist with work orders for event set-ups and breakdowns within the athletic department.  Theresa Collins, x2710

Athletic Trainer(s):  Will work with Health Services to review medical histories and clear all competitive club sport athletes for competition and practice. Deb Coutu, x2724 or Kelli Steele, x2725

Director of Campus Center:  Will work with clubs to recognized, renewed, and chartered.  Tamra Bates x4967

Organizational Structure
All club sports must be recognized as student organizations, have a system of officers, and be chartered in order to receive funding.  It will be the responsibility of the officers of each club to create the charter, account for funds, submit annual budgets, submit a Recognition Form at the end of the academic year, and serve as a screening committee for the hiring of club advisors/coaches. 

The position of Coordinator of Club Sports will assist the club sport officers with the management and operations of their clubs.  The Coordinator of Club Sports will approve club budgets, hire coaches/advisors, approve schedules and practice plans, and determine incentive/penalty allocations.  The Coordinator chairs the Advisory Council of Club Sports.

An Advisory Council of Club Sports will be created to be comprised of the Coordinator of Club Sports, a representative from each club sport, the athletics facility manager, a member of the athletic training staff, and a representative from the Office of Student Activities.  The Council will advise the coordinator of Club Sports on such matters as all renewals, annual funding requests, and any incentive/penalty allocations.

Information Resources

Along with this Guide to Club Sport Organizations, you will also find valuable information on the Campus Center webpage (www.smith.edu/campuscenter/) under Student Organization Resources.  This page has links to The Student Organizational Guidebook, which includes most of the information you will need to organize and maintain a club on our campus.  You can also find information pertaining to Contracts, Forms, Recognition Procedures, Organization Event Planning, and Student Bank Information.

Reserving Athletics Facilities for Practice & Competition

Only club sports recognized by Office of Student Activities may reserve College spaces and athletics facilities.  Club sports will follow the policies and procedures set forth for student organizations to reserve College spaces other than those in the athletics department (see the Student Organizational Guidebook). Written requests (see Appendix A) to reserve athletics facilities for practices and competitions must be received by the Coordinator of Club Sports at least two weeks in advance.  The Coordinator of Club Sports will ask for practice and competition requests for the fall semester over the summer.  All requests for the second semester must be received by November 15th.  Any changes or cancellations to athletics facility space reservations must be made to the Coordinator a week in advance.  Unauthorized use of College facilities for practices or competitions may result in the revocation of club status.  The Coordinator of Club Sports has the authority to determine sanctions for clubs who practice or compete without authorization.  The coordinator will use the following guidelines in determining sanctions:

• 1st offense – written warning
•  2nd offense –for each day of unauthorized usage, the club will lose two scheduled practices
• 3rd offense – club suspended from practice/competition for the remainder of the semester or two weeks, whichever is greater.

Inclement weather or poor field conditions often result in practices and competitions being cancelled.  If a club practices or competes on “closed” fields, the club will lose all privileges for home competitions for the remainder of the semester.

Club officers are also required to submit a Club Special Event or Fundraiser Checklist (see Appendix B) for any tournament, fundraiser or special event being hosted in the athletic facility or on the athletic fields.  This form must be completed two weeks prior to the event and is submitted in addition to the other forms required by student organizations.

Setting A Competitive Schedule

Club sports are asked to set their competitive schedule a semester in advance.  For fall competitions, an approved schedule should be submitted to the Coordinator of Club Sports during the prior spring semester, prior to May 1st.  For winter or spring club sports, a schedule should be submitted as soon as possible during the fall semester, but no later than Nov. 15th. 

The Coordinator of Club Sports will review the schedule to see if adequate funding exists to support the schedule.  The Coordinator will confer with the Athletics Facilities Manager to ensure “home” date capabilities.

Club sports in their first year of recognition will not be allowed to compete off campus.  Club sports will be asked to declare a primary season of competition; fall, winter, or spring and may select a secondary season of competition if desired. 

Club sports may have to pay direct costs for on campus events.  The Athletics Facility Manager will determine any direct costs (e.g. direct costs include but are not limited to site supervision, facility opening/closing personnel, facility cleaning/set-up charges, or supplies).  Club Sports will be billed for these expenses and should budget accordingly.

Practices
The following rules must be followed by club sports wishing to reserve athletics facilities for practice:

• Clubs must have an approved facility/practice request in order to use any athletics fields or facilities.
• All individuals participating in practice/competition must have a completed and submitted the proper forms which include:

Form 1:  Student Athlete Information (to be completed by all club sport participants)  Appendix C
Form 2:  Pre-participation Form and Risk Acknowledgment (to be completed by all club sport participants)  Appendix D
Form 3:  Medical History (to be completed by individuals participating in rugby, ultimate frisbee, fencing, ice hockey and synchro)  Appendix E

• All club sports are required to complete a Monthly Practice Participation Report (Appendix F) that records club practice schedules and participation numbers.  Clubs that complete the report and comply with all guidelines will be rewarded with a higher scheduling priority than clubs that fail to complete the report.  Reports must be submitted to the Coordinator of Club Sports at the end of each month.
• Club sports must submit tentative September practice and competition requests to the Coordinator of Club Sports prior to the last day of classes for the preceding spring semester.
• All other practice requests for first semester must be submitted over the summer.  Second semester requests must be submitted by November 15th.
• Any requests which occur after these deadlines must be received two weeks prior to any practice dates.
• Decisions regarding playability of fields will be made by the Facility Manager and all decisions are final.

All club sport participants playing competitive schedules (e.g. ice hockey, rugby, fencing, and ultimate frisbee) must be approved for practice and competition by the athletic training staff prior to the first day of practice.  Clubs must submit a roster of participants to the club sport trainer in advance of the first practice.  All roster members must complete Form 1, Form 2 and Form 3 found online at http://www.smith.edu/athletics/trainingroom/clearance.html or http://www.smith.edu/athletics/clubsports/forms.html before they will be allowed to practice or compete.

Once these Medical and Information forms are reviewed by appropriate personnel, a roster of participants approved for practice and competition will be presented to the club officers.  Only members of the approved roster may participate in practice or competition. 

All other club sports are required to complete Form 1 and Form 2, but not Form 3. However, if these other clubs have competition with an outside team, then participants must be medically approved for competition and participants must complete Form 3.

How to Start a New Club Sport
A new club sport must contact the Office of Student Activities concerning plans for becoming a club sport.  From this initial conversation, it will be determined if the new club will become chartered through SGA or simply exist as a recognized organization.  If the Club wants to request funding for their organization, they must contact the chair of the Organization Resources Committee (ORC) to start the chartering process.

Once the charter has been approved, the club sport must submit a Recognition Form and the Club Sports Recognition Form Addendum online to the Office of Student Activities and copied to the Coordinator of Club Sports. Once the Club has been chartered and recognized, they are eligible to request funding from the Advisory Club Sport Council for an amount not to exceed $200 in the first year.

Finances
Club sports will be financed through an annual allocation from ORC to athletics.  Each club sport will submit in writing a budget in the spring semester prior to the last day of classes.  The budget request (Appendix G) will include a schedule of activities/events, the cost of supplies, transportation, officials, and any other associated expenses.  Budgets will be approved by the Coordinator of Club Sports and allocated to each individual club account through the student bank.  All finances, income and expenditures, for a club must be administered through the student bank account. A complete record of all expenditures must be kept and submitted to the Coordinator of Club Sports at the end of each academic year before the treasurer of the club leaves campus. (Appendix H – Club Sports Treasurer Final Report)

Reminder:  Club social dues and/or SGA allocated funds are not to be used for the purchase or procurement of alcoholic beverages or for the payment of traffic/parking violations.

Club Sports may no longer request discretionary funds.  However, requests for major equipment purchases can be and should be made via the SGA Equipment Fund Application.  The application must first be reviewed by the Advisory Council of Club Sports to determine sufficient rational and how the equipment will be stored and maintained.  If the Coordinator of Club Sports approves the request, then the request will be forwarded to SGA for consideration.

Club sports that meet all deadline requirements throughout the year will be eligible for incentive funding.  Incentive funding, maximum $2,000 for all clubs will be apportioned based on the number of clubs eligible (Ex:  10 clubs meet criterion, then each club awarded $200).

All fundraising activity must adhere to Student Organization Guidelines for fund raising as published in the current year’s organization Guidebook available online at http://www.smith.edu/campuscenter/guidebook.php.  All fundraising endeavors must be approved by the Director of the Campus Center.  Applications to fundraise must be submitted on-line 14 days in advance of the date of the event.  The application must be approved before the organization can hold its fundraising event.  Any funds raised during the fundraising event should be placed in the club’s fundraising account.  This account is supervised by the Coordinator of Club Sports and the funds in this account can be rolled over from year to year.

See the Student Organization Guidebook for information on requesting checks and Student Bank Hours.

Hiring a Coach/Advisor
Club sports that are chartered are eligible to request permission to secure a coach/advisor.  Clubs must follow these steps:

• Write a job description for the position
• Secure permission from Coordinator of Club Sports to begin the screening process
• Optional: if club funding is available, clubs may advertise for position.
• Have the Coordinator of Club Sports post the job with Human Resources

Once clubs have a candidate for the position, the Coordinator of Club Sports will interview and determine hiring suitability and salary offer.  Coaches/advisors will be hired as Casual Employees of the College and must meet hiring regulations established by Smith College.  Full-time employees of the College are NOT eligible for hire. Volunteer coaches/advisors must be approved by the Coordinator of Club Sports.

All advisors/coaches must be knowledgeable of the policies and procedures for student organizations and for club sports.  The advisor/coach must restrict his/her contributions to coaching and improving the skills of club members.  The advisor/coach shall not solicit money from any source or purchase, rent, or commit anything in the name of Smith College. The advisor/coach shall employ safety practices for all participants which includes the inspection of sport gear. The advisor/coach must promote good sportsmanship on and off the field and compliance with college policies.  The advisor/coach must be CPR/AED certified and must participate in athletic department sponsored “inclusiveness/diversity” training.

Some clubs may want to bring an instructor on campus for some of their practice sessions.  In order to do this, you must seek a performance contract through student affairs before the instructor comes to campus.  Tamra Bates can assist in this process.

For those clubs that hire a coach or instructor who works with them off campus, the club must request that the instructor invoice them for expenses (services and/or equipment).  Upon the receipt of such invoice, the club can process it through the student bank and request a check to cover the cost.

Transportation
Funding for transportation to events off campus should be included in the budget request made by club sports.  Club sports are eligible to use SGA vans and must follow policies established by the College and SGA.  Regulations governing the use of SGA vehicles can be found in the Student Organization Guidebook. Vans can be reserved by the heads of student organizations or designated organization “van reservers”.  Additionally, club sport coaches may request the 12-passenger athletics department vans if the coach/advisor will be driving.  Reservations for the 12-passenger vans must be made through Linda Rainville, the Administrative Assistant in the Athletic Department, (x2706).  Athletics department van usage is prioritized first to intercollegiate athletics teams, followed by the outdoor adventure program, then club sports, and finally to other departments on campus.  No club sport students may drive athletics department vans.

All clubs are required to complete a travel roster and submit it to the Coordinator of Club Sports anytime the club travels off campus for an event. (Appendix I).  Failure to do so could jeopardize the club’s use of athletic department vans and SGA vans.

Annual Renewal of Club Sports
Each club sport must renew their club’s Recognition Form and Club Sports Addendum each year through the Office of Student Activities.  A copy of this form will be kept on file with the Coordinator of Club Sports.  Once this form has been completed, club sports must also submit a budget request for the next academic year to the Coordinator of Club Sports.  This procedure must be completed by the last day of classes each year.