20% Season of Competition Rule

Article V, Section C, Item 19: Season of Competition Minimum Participation – 20% SOC Rule

Effective: August 1, 2021

a. Participation in more than 20% of the maximum allowable number of intercollegiate contests or dates (excluding scrimmages) at an NAIA institution, whether in a varsity, junior varsity or freshman program, during the 24-week season. Any participation in NAIA-approved postseason shall result in a season of competition. The NAIA shall count seasons of competition based on intercollegiate participation charged by another intercollegiate athletic association.

A student who participates in the following number of contests or dates during the 24-week season will be charged a season of competition.

Baseball 12 contests* Lacrosse 5 contests

Basketball 7 contests Softball 12 contests*

Bowling 4 contests Swimming and diving 3 meets

Competitive cheer 3 dates Tennis 6 dates/tournaments

Competitive dance 3 dates Indoor track and field 3 meets

Cross country 3 meets Outdoor track and field 3 meets

Football Golf 3 contests Volleyball 7 dates 4 contests Wrestling 5 dates

Soccer 5 contests *For participation occurring August 1, 2022 and after, note that Baseball and Softball contests will be reduced to 11 contests due to the reduction of frequency of play and competition dates effective August 1, 2022.

NOTE 1: These limits shall be updated annually to reflect 20% of the maximum allowable contests or dates as listed in Article I, Section H, Item 1 of the NAIA Bylaws.

This new exception was proposed by the Competitive Experience Committee and will cover intercollegiate athletic participation beginning on August 1, 2021. The intention is to institute a minimum number of intercollegiate contests a students must participate in before they would be charged a season of competition. The numbers above are equivalent to a student competing in the minimum amount of intercollegiate contests to be charged a season of competition. For example a basketball player would be charged a season of competition if she competed in seven contests. Don’t forget that competition in NAIA approved postseason will automatically charge a student a season of competition regardless of the number of games they compete in.

All types of contests will count towards the total except for scrimmages. This is a continuation of the previous bylaw that stated a student would not be charged for competing in scrimmages only. A key point of this legislation is that the 20% calculation is based on the frequency of play limits for each sport. For the purposes of this bylaw, it does not matter how many games your team actually competes in. Take basketball again, if your team only plays in 15 games any students who only compete in six contests will not be charged a season of competition. Despite the fact that the student played in more than 20% of the games the team actually held.

This amended legislation removes the unattached exception. As you might know, the unattached exception had undergone massive changes recently and the proposers felt this bylaw change simplified this bylaw. Not to mention it makes this bylaw more equitable across all sports the NAIA sponsors. Instead of an athlete and coach trying to thread the unattached exception needle, they now know exactly how many contests an eligible student can compete in before they are charged.

Seasons of competition for non-intercollegiate competition will continue to be reviewed in the same manner. Furthermore, the NAIA will continue to take previous seasons charged or not charged by previous athletic associations at face value.

Key Take-Away: Coaches, FAR’s, and Compliance Administrators need to be clear on rosters and who might meet the SOC exception.