How important are club sports to the sustainability and advancement of an athletic program?

I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

(01-31-2015 10:20 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

If you have not followed the club sport, men's ice hockey, you may not know the success and popularity that program is enjoying. Due to the popularity (more fans attend ice hockey than current men's or women's basketball), there is talk of a larger ice hockey arena. Sell outs are common at the LaHaye Center. I've attended several games and the students and local hockey fans really support the team.

They would have to add another women's sport, which I don't see happening.

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I agree. Club sports have little to no impact on the athletic department. It is nice to have and to do it well though.

I suppose you could make the argument that if we have a really successful club sport (i.e. ice hockey) with great fan support, the school would consider moving it to an NCAA sanctioned sport.

With the budget available to Liberty for sports, they could probably handle adding a women's sport to even things out.

(01-31-2015 11:38 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 10:20 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

If you have not followed the club sport, men's ice hockey, you may not know the success and popularity that program is enjoying. Due to the popularity (more fans attend ice hockey than current men's or women's basketball), there is talk of a larger ice hockey arena. Sell outs are common at the LaHaye Center. I've attended several games and the students and local hockey fans really support the team.

I've been to plenty of hockey games at Liberty. They had a very strong team there when I was a student and it really packed the house. Unfortunately I'm sure they lose a ton of money one the sport and it isn't even part of the NCAA.

(01-31-2015 10:33 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I agree. Club sports have little to no impact on the athletic department. It is nice to have and to do it well though.

I suppose you could make the argument that if we have a really successful club sport (i.e. ice hockey) with great fan support, the school would consider moving it to an NCAA sanctioned sport.

With the budget available to Liberty for sports, they could probably handle adding a women's sport to even things out.

Being 3 hours from Lynchburg, and traveling back time to time for work, and when in town trying to catch an LU athletic activity, I've been able to attend basketball, football and ice hockey games. I want to add baseball to the mix this year. The one unique aspect of ice hockey is that it has a community appeal in that skating is available to the public. As the only ice rink in Lynchburg, that adds a community involvement beyond the university's sole usage. There was an article in the N&A about a young lady who was an olympic hopeful attempting to make the USA team that was using the LaHaye center as her training complex. Unlike the other club sports, the ice skating rink does provide civic and community involvement.

When a club sport has an increasing interest and is generating a buzz on campus it certainly deserves merit to explore it as another athletic asset for the university. Whether it is feasible to develop it further depends on the investment as relation to the appeal and gain.

(02-01-2015 08:37 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 11:38 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 10:20 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

If you have not followed the club sport, men's ice hockey, you may not know the success and popularity that program is enjoying. Due to the popularity (more fans attend ice hockey than current men's or women's basketball), there is talk of a larger ice hockey arena. Sell outs are common at the LaHaye Center. I've attended several games and the students and local hockey fans really support the team.

I've been to plenty of hockey games at Liberty. They had a very strong team there when I was a student and it really packed the house. Unfortunately I'm sure they lose a ton of money one the sport and it isn't even part of the NCAA.

I'll yield to hockey fans who are much more knowledgeable about the sport and NCAA affiliation than myself. In checking the NCAA, ice hockey for men and women is listed. Here is a men's link: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/icehockey-men. Can someone explain how ice hockey is not a part of the NCAA when it is listed as a sport?

(02-01-2015 09:07 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(02-01-2015 08:37 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 11:38 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 10:20 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

If you have not followed the club sport, men's ice hockey, you may not know the success and popularity that program is enjoying. Due to the popularity (more fans attend ice hockey than current men's or women's basketball), there is talk of a larger ice hockey arena. Sell outs are common at the LaHaye Center. I've attended several games and the students and local hockey fans really support the team.

I've been to plenty of hockey games at Liberty. They had a very strong team there when I was a student and it really packed the house. Unfortunately I'm sure they lose a ton of money one the sport and it isn't even part of the NCAA.

I'll yield to hockey fans who are much more knowledgeable about the sport and NCAA affiliation than myself. In checking the NCAA, ice hockey for men and women is listed. Here is a men's link: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/icehockey-men. Can someone explain how ice hockey is not a part of the NCAA when it is listed as a sport?

Ice hockey is an NCAA sport but Liberty ice hockey is not part of the NCAA. They are part of a separate organization for schools that are not part of the NCAA.

(02-01-2015 09:24 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(02-01-2015 09:07 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(02-01-2015 08:37 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 11:38 AM)NewTimes Wrote:  

(01-31-2015 10:20 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I would say probably close to 0%. An athletic director will not be hired or fired based on his/her club sports performance. Students don't choose Liberty because of club sports, unless they are athletes that will get scholarships but I don't know how that works with a club sport. Club sports don't bring in money to the school and generally just lose a bunch of money.

If you have not followed the club sport, men's ice hockey, you may not know the success and popularity that program is enjoying. Due to the popularity (more fans attend ice hockey than current men's or women's basketball), there is talk of a larger ice hockey arena. Sell outs are common at the LaHaye Center. I've attended several games and the students and local hockey fans really support the team.

I've been to plenty of hockey games at Liberty. They had a very strong team there when I was a student and it really packed the house. Unfortunately I'm sure they lose a ton of money one the sport and it isn't even part of the NCAA.

I'll yield to hockey fans who are much more knowledgeable about the sport and NCAA affiliation than myself. In checking the NCAA, ice hockey for men and women is listed. Here is a men's link: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/icehockey-men. Can someone explain how ice hockey is not a part of the NCAA when it is listed as a sport?

Ice hockey is an NCAA sport but Liberty ice hockey is not part of the NCAA. They are part of a separate organization for schools that are not part of the NCAA.

Thanks, then that explains why LU belong to the ACHA. Is the ACHA a league for teams to test school interest before commiting to become NCAA affiliated? What are the choices a school must make to join the NCAA? There seem to be some very notable schools in the ACHA.