On October 7, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved the Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee’s Redistribution/Flex Model proposal that changes the Division I Men’s playing and practice season calendar. In the new calendar, championship competition may be played in both fall and spring academic semesters, with the NCAA Championship being moved from mid-December to early May. United Soccer Coaches has supported the change concept for over 15 years as it has been a priority for the association’s Division I Men’s Soccer community, and we now reaffirm that position in our support for the Oversight Committee proposal designed to modernize and grow the game while enhancing the student-athlete experience.
Foundational to United Soccer Coaches support for the proposal is, first and foremost, the request for change by coaches and student-athletes seeking a Division I soccer experience that balances personal, academic and soccer priorities and provides the best conditions for high-quality development, competition and performance. Secondly, our support represents appreciation for the masterful work the Oversight Committee has done to consider the many variables and intricacies associated with change and then construct a framework in which conferences and institutions are offered autonomy and flexibility in scheduling and resource allocation. And doing this without expanding on the current 132 day/25 game soccer activity limits.
Soccer participation in the United States has grown enormously in the 15 years in which change has been sought by the NCAA Division I men’s soccer community, as have the aspirations of youth players wishing to combine soccer and academic ambitions. United Soccer Coaches believes that the Oversight Committee Redistribution/Flex model proposal provides the framework in which vision can become reality for current and future players, and it is our desire to see that the vision expressed in the proposal will become a reality and be launched in the 2027 season.
CLICK HERE to learn the details of the Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee Redistribution/Flex Model.