In 2020, La Salle University and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation announced it was eliminating varsity sports. Why are you adding varsity sports and investing in other programs now?
Over the course of the past few months, La Salle University and the Athletics Department has had the opportunity to re-examine the current climate of intercollegiate athletics and its own position and offerings. Through a careful analysis, the Department determined the conditions that led to eliminating varsity sports in 2020 have changed and that the timing is right to add select varsity sports, enhance our dance and cheerleader squads, and develop a band program. The growth plan has been endorsed by University leadership and the Board of Trustees, including the Board’s Student Experience, Athletics & Recreation Committee.
As a reminder, in September 2020, La Salle announced a reduction in the number of its intercollegiate athletics teams (baseball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s water polo, softball, women’s volleyball. Men’s swimming and diving were also part of the initial announcement but was reinstated in May 2021). Read more here, here, and here.
In the 2020 announcement, the University said that it was going to reinvest in the remaining varsity sports and align with other Atlantic 10 Conference schools, did that happen?
Yes, the Athletics Department was able to meet its goals of reinvesting in the current, remaining programs. While an additional factor in the decision to discontinue sports in 2020 was the alignment of sport offerings with peer institutions within the Atlantic 10, the University remains focused on the La Salle campus and its students in terms of providing the best opportunities for competition and a campus experience that resembles our peers in the Atlantic 10.
What process did the University undergo that led to the decision to grow the number of varsity sport and club programs offered?
The Athletics Department did a cost analysis, looked at regional competitor schools, examined the potential for student-athlete recruitment, surveyed facility compatibility, and surveyed the impact on Title IX compliance.
Why were these varsity sports chosen?
The varsity sports being added (baseball, women's acrobatics and tumbling, women's rugby, and women's triathlon) align with infrastructure, offer the best potential for roster growth, capitalize on the opportunity for regional competition to reduce travel costs, and have the ability to quickly become competitive. For women’s acrobatics and tumbling and women’s triathlon, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics has identified those sports as emerging opportunities for women. Read more here. Women’s rugby is an already sanctioned NCAA varsity sport. In addition, the University wants to grow its current cheer and dance programs and establish a band to enhance the student and fan experience at its events.
Why are you bringing back baseball?
The current analysis undertaken showed that baseball is a varsity sport that could thrive and compete in the current environment. There is active alumni engagement that the University will be utilizing to support baseball. Additionally, when the University looked at facilities, Hank DeVincent Field is ready for competition the day the program is reinstated.
Why didn't you bring back all varsity sports previously eliminated?
Each of the varsity sports that were eliminated are unique. The investment in improving or creating infrastructure and the potential for conflict with current varsity sports practice schedules played a role. Additionally, NCAA rules regarding rosters and the awarding of scholarships contributed to this decision.
What does this announcement mean for the University in terms of enrollment? How many student-athletes are expected to be added?
Adding these four varsity sports teams and three other programs as well as growing current rosters will create more opportunities for participation, enhance campus vibrancy, and increase school spirit. It will also contribute to the University's overall enrollment growth. It is anticipated that all of the additions will result in approximately 225 more students. The Athletics Department will implement a growth plan for student-athletes of current programs with the goal of increasing current rosters by 40 participants for the 2024-25 season. Then it will begin adding students for the new programs which will be sustained by the 2026-27 academic year.
Will there be a need to increase non-coaching athletic department staff?
Yes. It is anticipated that the Athletics Department will need additional coaches, administration, operations, and support services as these rosters grow.
When will the teams begin to compete?
Before any programs can begin, the Athletic Department will begin hiring coaches for the added programs in June 2024. Student-athlete recruitment will begin immediately with the goal of beginning competition for the 2025-26 academic year.
How does this impact the Title IX settlement?
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that, in part, requires colleges and universities to provide equitable participation opportunities in sports and equal treatment of female and male student-athletes.
As the University plans to add varsity sports, it will improve its compliance with Title IX. The most recent University ratio of male to female students as of the fall 2022 census was 38% male to 62% female. By adding these programs, the Athletics Department will exceed Title IX requirements.
What impact does this announcement have on facilities?
The University is implementing a multi-phased plan to improve facilities related to locker rooms and meeting spaces through fundraising. In phase one, the Athletics Department will reclaim unused space in McCarthy Stadium to support current programs. In phase two, attention will be turned to renovating locker rooms and meeting spaces in TruMark Arena first for the basketball programs and then for new and existing programs. These improvements will all be made possible through the generous support of La Salle alumni, parents, and friends.
In addition, the University announced in Sept. 2023 renovations to TruMark Financial Center’s arena for a reimagined college basketball experience. The upgraded arena will feature a 360-degree bowl design and will place fans closer to gameplay. There will also be a hospitality area and additional premium seating surrounding the court. Upgrades to the video boards, audio system, lighting, and in-game production to enhance the entire fan experience would also be included. This renovation is expected to be completed before the start of the 2024-25 basketball season.
How will the University pay for the addition of the new programs?
As part of the growth plan, revenue generated through roster growth and fundraising will support the new programs. The first opportunity for additional revenue will be to grow the rosters of existing programs and then supplement them as the new programs begin to grow.
In 2020, one of the concerns was that some of La Salle’s athletic programs were not funded at the same level as their peers in the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. How does this announcement position La Salle within the conferences?
This growth plan includes sufficient funding for all of La Salle’s Athletics programs to meet or exceed funding for equivalent peers in the Atlantic 10 and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferences. La Salle Athletics will compete against all conference schools or regional competitors at the highest level in regular and postseason competition.
Given the uncertainty around the future structure of the NCAA, specifically NCAA President Charlie Baker’s latest proposal, is now the best time to add sports? For more on the proposal, click here.
All of these proposals or ideas from the NCAA are far from final and will be properly evaluated by La Salle University, its conferences, and the NCAA membership. La Salle has been and will be an active participant in this discussion at the conference and NCAA levels. While that evaluation is ongoing, the institution must prioritize La Salle University’s needs and make decisions that best position the institution for success and growth. The University feels that adding these sports now puts the University and Athletic Department in a stronger position moving forward.
