COMPLIANCE FOR BOOSTERS

BOOSTERS

What is a Booster?
A booster is an individual who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:

Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization, including corporate entities promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
Have made financial contributions to the Department of Athletics or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
Be assisting or to have been requested to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.

Once an individual is identified as a booster, the person retains that identity indefinitely. Boosters are prohibited from making in-person, off campus recruiting contacts or telephone calls with a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardians. On-campus contact is permitted, as are written communications. Recruiting contacts by boosters during a prospective student-athlete's official visit are confined to campus.

Permissible Activities by Boosters

May notify the College's coaching staff members about noteworthy prospects in the area;
May view a prospective student-athlete's athletics contest on their own initiative, subject to the understanding that the booster may not contact the prospective student-athlete on such occasions;
Continue existing friendships; and
Coordinate through the College coaching staff about an occasional meal.

Impermissible Activities by Boosters

It is not permissible for a booster to communicate with a prospective student-athlete or their relatives or legal guardian(s) before June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
May not contact a prospect in person off campus;
May not contact a prospect by telephone, email, internet, or letter;
May not provide gifts or free or reduced cost services to a prospect or the prospect's relatives or legal guardian;
May not employ relatives, guardians or friends of a prospect as an inducement for the prospect's enrollment and athletics participation at a university;
May not become directly or indirectly involved in arranging for a prospect or the prospect's relatives or guardian to receive money or financial aid of any kind;
May not provide transportation for a prospect or the prospect's relatives or guardian;
May not provide free or reduced-cost tickets for a prospect or the prospect's relatives or guardian to attend an athletic event; and
May not provide any material benefit (e.g. meals, cash) to the coach of a prospect, including high school, two-year college, AAU and summer team coaches.

What is an extra benefit?
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a booster to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation, if it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution's students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.