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About the NCAA

The NCAA is made up of three membership classifications that are known as Divisions I, II and III. Each division creates its own rules governing personnel, amateurism, recruiting, eligibility, benefits, financial aid, and playing and practice seasons – consistent with the overall governing principles of the Association. Every program must affiliate its core program with one of the three divisions.

About the NCAA

Publish date: Jul 16, 2012

Emerging Sports for Women

The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) is charged with identifying and managing progress of emerging sports for women.

Frequently Asked Questions

Definition of an emerging sport?

An emerging sport is a sport recognized by the NCAA that is intended to provide additional athletics opportunities to female student-athletes. Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the NCAA minimum sports sponsorship requirements and also to meet the NCAA's minimum financial aid awards.

What former emerging sports are now part of the NCAA Championships?

  • Women’s Rowing
  • Women’s Water Polo
  • Women’s Ice Hockey
  • Women’s Bowling

Emerging Sports Timeline

1991

NCAA surveys its member institutions' expenditures for women's and men's athletics programs. Study results show undergraduate enrollment is about even (50/50), but male students constitute about 70 percent of the participants in intercollegiate athletics, their programs receive about 70 percent of athletics scholarship funds, 77 percent of operating budgets and 83 percent of recruiting funds.

1992

In response to the 1991 survey results, the NCAA Gender-Equity Task Force is established.

1993

The final report of the Gender-Equity Task Force is published. The Task Force recommends institutional standards and NCAA regulations to help achieve gender equity. Nine "emerging” sports (five team and four individual sports) are identified.

1994

The NCAA principle of gender equity is adopted at the NCAA Convention to create greater participation opportunities.

Financial aid legislation and minimum contests and participants required for sports sponsorships applicable to emerging sports programs become effective.

1995-96

Amateurism legislation, seasons of competition legislation and awards and benefits legislation applicable to emerging sports programs become effective.

1996

A National Collegiate Championship for women's rowing is adopted at the NCAA Convention. Legislation to establish championships in emerging sports may be proposed during the second year in which 40 or more institutions sponsor the sport for two consecutive academic years. Financial aid legislation and minimum contest and participant requirements for some women's sports are revised for some emerging sports.

Coaching limits and playing and practice legislation for emerging sports become effective. Institutions that sponsor an emerging sport must be in full compliance with all remaining NCAA legislation. [NOTE Per NCAA Bylaw 14.01.6.2, the initial-, continuing- and general-eligibility legislation is only effective for student-athletes first entering the collegiate institution on or after August 1, 1996.]

1997

In April, the Council voted, effective August 1, 1997, to remove women's rowing from the list of emerging sports, inasmuch as the Association sponsored a national collegiate championship in that sport.

1998

Divisions I, II and III adopted noncontroversial legislation to identify equestrian as an emerging sport for women. However, the Division III Management Council decided to rescind equestrian as an emerging sport for women.

2000-01

Women’s ice hockey was removed from the list of emerging sports and the Association sponsored a national collegiate championship in that sport.

Women’s water polo was removed from the list of emerging sports and the Association sponsored a national collegiate championship in that sport.

Division III established women’s ice hockey as a divisional championship. Division I and II still participate in a national collegiate championship.

The women’s rowing national collegiate championship was reclassified and divisional championships were established for Divisions I, II and III.

 

2002-03

Rugby is added as an emerging sport for women in all three divisions.

2004

Women’s bowling was removed from the list of emerging sports and the Association sponsored a national collegiate championship in that sport.

2009

Women’s archery, badminton, synchronized swimming and team handball removed from the list of emerging sports in all three NCAA divisions for lack of growth.

2010

Sand volleyball added to the list of emerging sports for women in Division I and II.

When the NCAA adopted the recommendations of the Gender-Equity Task Force in 1994, one of the recommendations was the creation of the list of emerging sports for women. Nine sports were on that first list. In the past 17 years, some have become championship sports (rowing, ice hockey, water polo and bowling), while others have been added to or removed from the list. Bylaws require that emerging sports must gain championship status (minimum 40 varsity NCAA programs or 28 division III varsity programs for a division III only championship) within 10 years or show steady progress toward that goal to remain on the list.

Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the membership minimum sports sponsorship requirements and, in Divisions I and II, minimum financial aid requirements. Sports do not have to be NCAA championship or emerging sports to be varsity, nor does such status mean the institution's conduct of the sport meets Office for Civil Rights or Title IX standards for varsity sports.

In the years since the emerging-sports list was created, four have earned full-fledged championship status. Women’s rowing, which became a National Collegiate championship in 1997 and split into championships for each division in 2002, has seen the most growth — and had the longest time to see the impact of NCAA recognition. Women’s ice hockey and women’s water polo, which both earned NCAA championship status in the 2000-01 season, have experienced growth, too. Women’s bowling, a championship sport since 2003-04, is expected to see sponsorship numbers rise even higher in the upcoming season. Each of those sports has grown and succeeded uniquely.

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Current Emerging Sports

  • Equestrian
  • Rugby
  • Sand Volleyball