Non NCAA Varsity Teams in the MDIA

[porterjive]

The question regarding "fairness" isn't soley about how much money a team may get for uniforms or buses. A large part of the issue rests in recruiting. That aspect of collegiate sports as a whole is crucial to any programs success and this point is only magnified under the conditions that our organization (USL-MDIA) works with. If one club team has the ability to offer scholarships, a proposition in which the other programs are found lacking, then the equal playing field is corrupted before the season begins.
Sure, a school who recieves money and builds a respectable program is undoubtedly considered progress from where we are now, and it is true that the level of support ranges considerably between universities but surely the inequity raised by scholarship offers cannot be merely brushed off as another perk of school support.

we only get about $5,000 a year in scholarship money for the whole team, tuition here is $35,000 and I didnt even get my scholarship this year because our budget was shrunk


What about teams that can recruit based on affiliations etc . . . For instance, my team just landed sponsorships with Shamrock and Riddell and that alone is gonna up our recruiting ability big time.

[Sonny]

i meant because were varsity we can afford to exist, but if our funding were cut we couldnt afford to be club

Some current MDIA (club) teams don't receive one single dime from their school. It can be done without financial support from your respective school. It won't be easy, but it can be done.

[SMSlax]

Not to discredit any potential one might gain by sponsorships, but at Missouri State we've had those same affiliations with Shamrock, etc. for several years. To our disappointment, it doesn't appear to have the effect on recruiting that we'd envisioned.