Fans and Boosters
The University of Richmond’s responsibility to follow conference and NCAA rules is not limited to its administrative staff, coaches, and student-athletes. This responsibility extends to all University of Richmond Athletics stakeholders, including its fans, donors, season ticket holders, and other athletic representatives. NCAA legislation places specific restrictions on the activities in which such stakeholders (called “representative of athletics interests” or more commonly, “boosters”) can engage on behalf of or for the benefit of the University of Richmond. The legislation also holds the University of Richmond and our student-athletes responsible for their actions. For these reasons, the University of Richmond asks for your support to help protect our interests and the eligibility of our student-athletes.
Who is a Booster?
A booster is any individual or entity who has participated in (or has been a member of) an agency or organization promoting University of Richmond Athletics; made financial contributions to University of Richmond Athletics or to a University of Richmond Athletics booster organizations; or been involved in promoting University of Richmond Athletics. Once an individual or entity becomes a booster, that individual or entity remains a booster indefinitely.
Common examples of University of Richmond boosters include:
Extra Benefit
The NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement by an institutional staff member or representative of athletics interest (“booster”) to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s friends or relatives with a benefit not available to the University of Richmond student body or otherwise expressly authorized by the NCAA. A representative of athletics interests may not provide extra benefits to student-athletes unless such benefits are generally available to all University of Richmond students and their relatives or friends.
Specifically, items that the NCAA considers to be extra benefits include, but are not limited to:
Recruiting
A booster is prohibited from making telephonic communications with a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s relatives or legal guardians. However, an athletics representative of a member institution may speak to a prospective student-athlete via the telephone only if the prospective student-athlete initiates the telephone conversation and the call is not for recruiting purposes. Under such circumstances, the booster must refer questions about the institution’s athletics program to the athletics department staff.
Employment
A current student-athlete at the University of Richmond may earn money from legitimate employment during the academic year. Earnings from a student-athlete’s on-or-off campus employment is exempt and is not counted in determining a student-athlete’s cost of attendance or in the institution’s financial aid limitations, provided:
Fee for Lessons
A student-athlete may receive money from you or your family for teaching or giving lessons in his or her sport. To do this the following conditions must be met:
Occasional Meals
A student-athlete or the entire team in a sport may receive an occasional meal from a representative of athletics interests (donor) on infrequent and special occasions under the following conditions:
Per institutional policy, boosters must complete and return an occasional meal form to the Office of Athletics Compliance Services for approval prior to the occasional meal taking place. A booster can work with a team’s coach in ensuring this is filed correctly.
Who is a Booster?
A booster is any individual or entity who has participated in (or has been a member of) an agency or organization promoting University of Richmond Athletics; made financial contributions to University of Richmond Athletics or to a University of Richmond Athletics booster organizations; or been involved in promoting University of Richmond Athletics. Once an individual or entity becomes a booster, that individual or entity remains a booster indefinitely.
Common examples of University of Richmond boosters include:
- UR students;
- UR employees;
- UR alumni;
- UR donors; and
- UR ticket holders.
Extra Benefit
The NCAA defines an extra benefit as any special arrangement by an institutional staff member or representative of athletics interest (“booster”) to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s friends or relatives with a benefit not available to the University of Richmond student body or otherwise expressly authorized by the NCAA. A representative of athletics interests may not provide extra benefits to student-athletes unless such benefits are generally available to all University of Richmond students and their relatives or friends.
Specifically, items that the NCAA considers to be extra benefits include, but are not limited to:
- A special discount, payment arrangement or credit on any purchase or service;
- Gifts of cash, clothing or any other item with value;
- Loan of money or co-signing of a loan;
- An automobile, or use of an automobile or transportation expenses;
- Free or reduced-cost services, purchases or rentals;
- Employment or loan arrangements for a prospective or current student-athlete’s friends or relatives;
- Free or reduced-cost rent or housing;
- Payment to a student-athlete for a speaking engagement; or
- Entertainment on-or-off campus.
Recruiting
A booster is prohibited from making telephonic communications with a prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s relatives or legal guardians. However, an athletics representative of a member institution may speak to a prospective student-athlete via the telephone only if the prospective student-athlete initiates the telephone conversation and the call is not for recruiting purposes. Under such circumstances, the booster must refer questions about the institution’s athletics program to the athletics department staff.
Employment
A current student-athlete at the University of Richmond may earn money from legitimate employment during the academic year. Earnings from a student-athlete’s on-or-off campus employment is exempt and is not counted in determining a student-athlete’s cost of attendance or in the institution’s financial aid limitations, provided:
- The student-athlete is compensated only for work actually performed; and
- The student-athlete is compensated at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
Fee for Lessons
A student-athlete may receive money from you or your family for teaching or giving lessons in his or her sport. To do this the following conditions must be met:
- Institutional facilities cannot be used;
- To simply “play” against the student-athlete is not permitted (e.g., playing lessons);
- Documentation and prior approval of the lessons must be on file with the University of Richmond Athletics Compliance Office;
- Compensation for the lesson must be paid by the lesson recipient (or their family), the payment cannot come from another individual or entity.
Occasional Meals
A student-athlete or the entire team in a sport may receive an occasional meal from a representative of athletics interests (donor) on infrequent and special occasions under the following conditions:
- The meal may only be provided in an individual’s home, on campus or at a facility that is regularly used for home competition and may be catered; and
- A representative of the institution’s athletics interests may provide reasonable local transportation to student-athletes to attend the meal function only if the meal function is at the home of that representative.
Per institutional policy, boosters must complete and return an occasional meal form to the Office of Athletics Compliance Services for approval prior to the occasional meal taking place. A booster can work with a team’s coach in ensuring this is filed correctly.