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Coach Resource Hub: Understanding Seasons of Competition
Link to NAIA Bylaws Knowing when a student is charged a season of competition (SOC) is critical for roster management, eligibility tracking, and avoiding costly errors. This overview highlights what counts as participation, when the 20% rule applies, and how outside competition factors in. The 20% Rule: When Participation Becomes a Season Under Article V,…
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Basics of NAIA Seasons of Competition
Article V, Section B, Item 20: Seasons of Competition – Definitions Link to NAIA Bylaws Intercollegiate Contests & 20% Rule Season of Competition defined as: 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…
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OCE vs. Violating Amateurism: Knowing the Difference
Link to NAIA Bylaws – Season of Competition Link to NAIA Bylaws Loss of Amateurism When evaluating a student’s competition history, it’s important to understand whether their participation falls under the Outside Competitive Experience (OCE) rule or if it involves a violation of amateur status. While both can result in seasons of competition being charged,…
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Understanding the Outside Competitive Experience (OCE) Rule: What Counts as a Season of Competition?
Effective May 1, 2022, the NAIA adopted an important change to how student-athletes are charged seasons of competition for participation outside of intercollegiate athletics. The change—part of the work of the Competitive Experience Committee—raises the standard from “elite-level” competition to “professional-level” participation. This shift is designed to improve fairness, clarity, and transparency for students and…
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Outside Competitive Experience: 2023 Wrestling and Track & Field Bylaw
Bylaw Amendment Effective Date: May 1, 2023 as applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2023 or beyond. In the sports of indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and wrestling, a student-athlete’s participation in a competitive event shall count towards the student’s 20% threshold, regardless of whether the student-athlete officially represents…
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Outside Competitive Experience Review – Update August 2023
OCE Review 2023 Update & Form: The Outside Competitive Experience form is used to determine if any outside competitive experience (OCE) should be charged if the student was not otherwise charged an intercollegiate SOC in the past 12 months. Under the section, “To whom this review does apply,” the first criteria in the section reads,…
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Summer Participation & Seasons of Competition
Article V, Section B, Item 20 Note 4: Unless specified elsewhere in the NAIA Bylaws (i.e. Article V, Section F, Item 9) no student shall be charged more than one season of competition during any 12-month period. Participation in elite-level competition after May 15 shall be charged within the 12-month period that includes the subsequent…
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Unattached Criteria – As of 2021-2022
Unattached Criteria no longer applicible as of May 1, 2021 The new bylaw amendment that passed in October 2020 removed the blanket exception to the seasons of competition (SOC) ruling, commonly known as the “unattached criteria”. As of May 1, 2021, there will no longer be a way for a student-athlete to get a “free…
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Outside Competitive Experience Update – As of 2021-2022
Elite-Level Criteria & Chargeable Outside Competitive Experience Effective May 1, 2022 as applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2022 or beyond. Applied to eligibility decisions for NAIA competition in August 2022 and beyond. This means that this criteria is not retroactive. If a student was charged for a league prior to May…
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Elite Level Competition – Gender Specific Competition
Bylaw: Article V, Section B, Item 19 “b. Participation in any elite-level competition on or after the first day of the thirteenth month following high school graduation. The NAIA shall count seasons of competition based on non-collegiate participation charged by another intercollegiate athletic association. Additional seasons of competition, based on non-collegiate participation, will be charged…