USIAA Rules for Emerging Sports
An emerging sport is a sport recognized by the USIAA that is intended to provide additional athletics opportunities to female student-athletes. Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the USIAA minimum sports sponsorship requirements and also to meet the USIAA's minimum financial aid awards.
The baseline requirement for any sport hoping to join the USIAA as an official sport is to either:
For purposes of reviewing emerging sports for women proposals, a sport shall be defined as an institutional activity involving physical exertion with the purpose of competition versus other teams or individuals within a collegiate competition structure:
In addition to the proposal, 10 letters of commitment must be submitted:
The Criteria Addressed in the Proposal Must Include the Following:
The baseline requirement for any sport hoping to join the USIAA as an official sport is to either:
- Have at least 28 schools with a varsity team with scholarships sponsored by the university's athletic department and/or providing athletic scholarships to at least 5 individuals (per gender).
- Have at least 40 club teams sponsored by the institution's recreational department (per gender).
- Have 1) at least 20 schools with a varsity team with scholarships sponsored by the university's athletic department and/or providing athletic scholarships to at least 5 individuals & 2) at least 30 club teams sponsored by the institution's recreational department (per gender).
For purposes of reviewing emerging sports for women proposals, a sport shall be defined as an institutional activity involving physical exertion with the purpose of competition versus other teams or individuals within a collegiate competition structure:
- Furthermore, sport includes regularly scheduled team and/or individual, head-to-head competition (at least five) within a defined competitive season(s); and standardized rules with rating/scoring systems ratified by official regulatory agencies and governing bodies.
- If an activity meets the definition of a sport, then a proposal and 10 commitment letters are submitted to the Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA). The proposal has to include documentation/supporting information that demonstrates that the sport meets the criteria received by the CWA when assessing the viability of the sport.
In addition to the proposal, 10 letters of commitment must be submitted:
- The letters must be from 10 member institutions that sponsor or intend to sponsor the sport as an emerging sport and include the signatures of the president and the athletics director of those institutions. Additionally, the letters must be dated within one year of the submission of the proposal and letters.
- A sport that is removed from the list of emerging sports for women can seek reinstatement. At least twelve months must have passed since the effective date of removal from the list.
- The criteria for the proposal remain the same, except that 15 letters of commitment must be included and the proposal should explain why the circumstances for support of the proposal have changed since the sport’s removal from the list.
The Criteria Addressed in the Proposal Must Include the Following:
- Existing data that demonstrates support for the sport. Examples include the following:
a) Collegiate recreation and intramural sponsorship,
b) High-school sport sponsorship,
c) Nonscholastic competitive programs,
d) Association and organization support,
e) U.S. Olympic Committee support (e.g., classified as an Olympic sport, National Governing Body support, grants),
f) Conference interest in sports sponsorship,
g) Coaches Association support,
h) Professional sports support,
i) There is a demonstrated understanding that once identified as an emerging sport, all USIAA institutions wishing to sponsor the sport at the varsity level must abide by all USIAA regulations, which include limits on playing and practice seasons, recruiting regulations and student-athlete eligibility. - Emerging-sport proposals must include information on general championship rules and format for the sport.