History

The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) was established in 1968 for “the promotion of outreach and ministry and for the maintenance, enhancement and promotion of intercollegiate athletic competition with a Christian perspective.” The association sponsored its first event, a basketball tournament in Detroit, in its inaugural year. While at the tournament, the NCCAA’s first leaders adopted the association’s constitution. Norm Wilhelmi, the founding Chairman and President, E.C. Haskell, the first Executive Director, and 15 coaches presided at the inaugural meeting. After receiving a list of 13 institutions interested in membership, Haskell registered the association as a non-profit organization and established its first charter.

In 1973, the association began sponsoring cross country, track and field, and men’s soccer. Membership was split with the creation of Divisions I and II in 1975 for traditional liberal arts institutions and Bible colleges, respectively. Alongside women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, golf, women’s soccer, tennis, baseball, and indoor track and field, football was later sponsored by the association. The Board of Directors voted to move the National Office to Marion, Indiana in 1989 and Greenville, South Carolina in May 2000. Today, about 90 institutions participate in NCCAA national championship events.

Membership

The NCCAA is unique in that it classifies affiliated schools as “participating institutions” rather than “members” in the traditional sense:

“The corporation shall have participating institutions as provided in Article VI but shall not have legally designated members.” [1]

This distinction is more of a formality as participating institutions possess many of the same rights, including voting on legislative proposals, and are treated as traditional non-profit members are; thus, participating institutions can be informally referenced as “members”:

“All rights that would otherwise vest in members shall vest in the participating institutions to the extent these Bylaws expressly confer such rights on them, but otherwise shall vest in the Board of Directors. Any action that would otherwise require approval by members shall require the approval of the participating institutions to the extent these Bylaws expressly require the provided-for action by them, but otherwise shall require the approval of the Board of Directors.” [1]

Four-year, Christian-affiliated institutions are eligible to become members of the association:

“Institutions, as used herein, shall include the undergraduate schools of universities and Bible colleges or institutions that meet the requirements of this section. Academic year, as used herein, shall mean July through June of each year... To be eligible, an institution must offer an accredited four-year program with academic standards acceptable to the Board of Directors. Only accredited Christian institutions with four-year programs are eligible for regional or national championships.” [1]

The sole exception to this rule is that members of the NCAA’s Division I are not eligible to join the association:

“NCAA Division I members (full, exploratory or provisional) are not eligible for membership in the NCCAA due to the absence of any reciprocal agreements with NCAA Division I Management Councils.” [1]

NCCAA members are not prohibited from joining other governing bodies/organizations. Most members primarily compete in the NCAA (Division II/III) or NAIA. NCCAA membership provides programs an opportunity to compete in the postseason should they miss their primary governing body’s.

Structure

The NCCAA is organized by divisions and regions. Member institutions are classified by division and assigned to a region within their division.

Divisions

At the highest level of organization, the NCCAA is divided into two divisions. The key distinction between the two is how athletes are directly compensated by institutions:

“The NCCAA shall be divided into two divisions: Division I for institutions offering financial aid specifically for student-athletes and Division II for institutions not offering financial aid specifically for student-athletes.” [1]

“The Board of Directors shall establish divisions within a sport. Division I shall consist of four-year Christian liberal arts institutions. Division II institutions shall grant no athletic scholarship to any student-athletes and shall not grant any special financial aid or scholarships to student-athletes unless offered equally to other members of the student body.” [1]

Regions

Each NCCAA member is assigned to a region. Regions exist within divisions (as opposed to being division-independent/association-wide)

“Regions shall be established and changed, when necessary, by the Board of Directors.” [1]

For football, a team’s regional affiliation is more of a formality as it does not have direct implications on the postseason or other factors that impact the program.

Governance

Authority

The NCCAA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Organizations with this designation are tax-exempt, as outlined by 26 U.S. Code § 501 [3]:

“An organization described in subsection (c) or (d) or section 401(a) shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle unless such exemption is denied under section 502 or 503.” [3]

“The following [exempt] organizations are referred to in subsection (a): Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” [3]

The highest authority in the NCCAA is the Board of Directors (the Board):

“The Board of Directors is the official governing board of the association.” [1]

Structure

The Board of Directors consists of numerous officers, who are elected by participating institutions, and members who work without compensation:

“The Board of Directors shall consist of no more than 20, and, in any event, not less than three members, who shall be the officers: (a) President, (b) First Vice-President, (c) Second Vice-President, (d) President’s Designate, (e) and at-large members as chosen or elected. At the discretion of the Executive Committee and Executive Director, a member of the Board may be designated as Board Counselor. This designation shall expire upon the death of the designee, or until a decision to conclude their service as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee, and shall be limited to Board members having served a minimum of 3 terms previously.” [1]

“Officers shall be nominated and confirmed by the member institutions as provided in SECTION 5.01. Officers shall be eligible for re-election without limitation on the number of terms served.” [1]

“Officers and members of the Board of Directors shall serve without compensation other than reimbursement for minimal meeting expenses.” [1]

The Board is granted sweeping authority over the association’s various committees and entities:

“The property and business of the corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred on it by the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws, the Board of Directors may exercise all such powers of the corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not prohibited by law, by the Articles of Incorporation, or by the Bylaws.” [1]

The Board is permitted to establish committees that fulfill its duties and responsibilities. The most prominent of these are the Executive Committee (executive action), Administrative Committee (operational oversight), Advancement Committee (planning and development), and Financial Committee. Each reports directly to the Board. The Board can also establish new committees to fulfill other responsibilities as it sees fit:

“Other committees may be established by the Board from time to time; shall consist of two or more Directors, as provided by the Board; and shall be authorized to exercise the authority of the Board of Directors to the extent provided in the resolution creating any such committee. Any such committee shall act by majority vote and shall have a quorum of one-third of the member Directors with not less than two Directors.” [1]

The most prominent positions in the NCCAA governance structure are the Chairman of the Board, the President, and the Executive Director. The President is tasked with overseeing and serving on the Board’s committees, serving as the Vice-Chair of the Board (unless elected Chairman), and reporting directly to the Chairman. The Executive Director leads the NCCAA National Office, which includes its numerous directors, their subcommittees, and all other employees, serves on the Board’s committees, and reports directly to the Board.

Scheduling

Regular Season

The NCCAA maintains scheduling requirements for participating institutions to be eligible for postseason play:

“Each sport has a maximum and minimum number of contests in the regular season. Football is allowed 11 total contests and must have a minimum of eight games to be eligible for postseason competition. Each sport has a specified date to begin practice and to conduct its first contest. Football can start practice 24 days prior to the first allowable game, not to exceed August 1. The first allowable contest cannot be before the fourth Thursday in August.” [1]

Per the association’s Bylaws, an opponent must fulfill the following to be considered “countable:”

• The institution must be a four-year degree-granting institution.
• The team must be a varsity program.
• The institution must meet one of the following:
• Member of the NCCAA, NCAA, NAIA, CCAA, or Canadian U Sports.
• The institution must be accredited by one of the six recognized accrediting bodies in the U.S.: Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools (MAS); New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE); North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC); Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS); Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU); Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Schools (WASC-ACS); or Universities Canada or accreditation with ABHE or TRACS.
• Additional institutions may be submitted for review for exceptions and added to the countable game list.

The association, however, does not perform the actual function of scheduling; rather, this responsibility is deferred to the members and any organizations, and their respective sub-organizations, that they are also affiliated with.

Postseason

At the conclusion of the regular season, two eligible and deserving members are invited to participate in the NCCAA Victory Bowl:

“All the teams submitting a Declaration of Intent to Participate in the Victory Bowl are eligible to participate. The Victory Bowl shall be one game between two teams selected by the Football Committee.” [1]

The two teams are selected via the NCCAA’s Power Rating System, an objective formula that rates and seeds teams:

“The two highest seeded teams, based on the NCCAA Power Rating System, that are available to participate shall be selected to the Victory Bowl. The NCCAA Football Committee has oversite to the selection process. The team must be .500 to be considered for the Victory Bowl. The Selection of Teams shall be made the previous Sunday before the scheduled event.” [1]

The association releases three consecutive ratings before the game. The two highest-rated teams not participating in another governing body/organization’s postseason receive an invitation to the Victory Bowl:

“The power rating dates shall start three weeks prior to the week of the Victory Bowl. There shall be a total of three consecutive weeks of power ratings. If a team has regular season games after the final power rating, the final power rating shall be updated with the additional regular season dates for the National Football Committee to use in selection and seeding.” [1]

The game is played at the highest seed’s home field:

“The NCCAA Football Victory Bowl shall be hosted at the highest seeded team selected to participate in the event. The NCCAA Board of Directors shall have the final decision.” [1]

Participating teams partake in several activities and events leading up to the game. One of the most significant events is the Christian Service Project (CSP). The CSP is fundamental to the association and its members’ fulfillment of their Christ-centered mission and purpose:

“At a convenient time during the Victory Bowl weekend, the teams shall participate in a CSP set up by the host, which shall be at least an hour of service in the community. This should be a hands-on service activity. Generally, the CSP should occur on Friday morning or afternoon.” [1]

Media Rights

Members control their media rights arrangements before the playing of the Victory Bowl. The association does not govern how members broadcast their games or distribute their rights during the regular season. The association does, however, control the rights to the Victory Bowl:

“NCCAA Victory Bowl web streaming shall be provided by the host institution. The NCCAA owns exclusive rights for all broadcasts (television, webcast, radio, etc.) and filming of its championship meets, tournaments, and games. All institutions or entities interested in producing a broadcast of any kind must first obtain written approval from the NCCAA Director of Communications. Approval is not guaranteed. If approved, all rights fees must be paid to the National Office in advance of the broadcast. Institutions interested in filming/video recording the game or event action for short highlight purposes must first obtain written approval from the Director of Communications.” [1]

“Web streaming shall be through the NCCAA Network only via BlueFrame Technology. No other streaming platforms, including social media platforms, may be used simultaneously or after the event concludes without the written consent of the NCCAA. The Victory Bowl shall be pay-per-view at the rate set by the National Office. Video stream must be a minimum two-camera production with two commentators.” [1]

“If host does not agree to these terms or cannot provide a quality stream, the host must either relinquish hosting rights or allow NCCAA Network crew to produce the stream. If NCCAA Network crew produces the stream, host shall provide adequate space, power supply, and internet capabilities for the production kit and needs for the broadcast. The host is responsible for providing NCCAA Network staff with housing at host hotel (three rooms, including arrival on the day before event and departure on the day after event), access to hospitality/VIP rooms, and event all-access passes.” [1]

Recruitment

The association maintains general guidelines for permissible recruiting practices, including contact, tryouts, reimbursement, and more:

“The following principles govern recruitment and campus visitation of prospective student-athletes. The student-athletes should be protected in maintaining normal academic progress while still in high school or junior college. Recruitment should be coordinated with the overall policies that affect enrollment of new students to the institution. The obvious cons of tryouts should be avoided that conflict with the aim of making the intercollegiate program an integral part of the total scholastic program.” [1]

“Individual or group tryouts may be conducted for the purpose of assisting in the assessment of athletic promise, if tryouts are a part of the general institutional policy in the procurement of students with special talents. Tryouts, where permitted, shall be limited to no more than two days for a specific student.” [1]

“No reimbursement shall be made for any part of the travel expense of prospective student-athletes who visit with the participating institution, either in the form of reimbursement by the participating institution or by any individual or organization, unless the practice is part of the general institution policy in the recruiting of all students and not just limited to student-athletes.” [1]

“No coach or other representative of a participating NCCAA-only institution shall contact a student-athlete who has matriculated to another NCCAA-only institution.” [1]

Compensation For Athletes

Scholarships

Current/prospective student-athletes of an NCCAA institution may be eligible to receive athletic scholarships depending on their institution’s classification. The association defines countable aid as follows:

“Any and all financial assistance to student-athletes that is funded, controlled, or allocated by the institution, regardless of category, title, or original source. Countable aid includes athletic grants or scholarships, academic scholarships, leadership and/or performance scholarships, outside scholarships administered by the institution, tuition waivers, benefits, room credits, meal credits, institutional loans, and work study, as defined in financial aid packages and that is funded by the institution or government.” [1]

Non-countable aid is defined as:

“Aid that is not funded, controlled, or allocated in any significant way by the institution: Pell, SEO, federal and state grants, benefits, and/or scholarships; loans not controlled by institutions; state-mandated tuition waivers and institutionally funded tuition waivers for employee dependents attending the institution of the employee.” [1]

Each division has regulations that outline what forms of institutional aid a student-athlete can receive. Division I institutions are permitted to offer scholarships to student-athletes based on their athletic merit, meaning athletes are permitted to receive all forms of countable and non-countable aid. Student-athletes at Division II institutions are strictly prohibited from receiving any form of financial aid based on their athletic capabilities/associations. These athletes are still permitted to receive all forms of non-countable aid but can only receive some forms of countable aid. Regardless of classification, each member is permitted to maintain as large a roster as it wishes:

“No limit shall be placed on the number of student-athletes on any varsity roster, nor on the combined total number of all varsity and junior varsity athletes.” [1]

The association does, however, place an upper limit on the number of scholarships a Division I institution can offer. For football, that number is 24.

Donors are permitted to contribute to a particular sport’s scholarship fund but are prohibited from directing the allocation of said funds:

“All donations to the general athletics program and/or the athletics scholarship fund by outside organizations shall be deposited in an institutional fund and be administered by appropriate institutional committees under the control of the Chief Executive Officer.” [1]

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)

Student-athletes in the association are permitted to leverage their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) for financial gain:

“Receiving compensation for use of name, image, or likeness to promote any commercial product, enterprise, or public or media appearance [shall NOT cause an athlete to lose amateur standing]. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to notify his/her institution’s athletic director or compliance officer in writing of any compensation the student receives from the use of name, image, or likeness in relation to his/her school or status as a student-athlete, if allowed by current state law.” [1]

This legislation works in conjunction with the pre-existing structure for financial compensation. Athletes cannot be compensated conditionally based on their performance or designated as employees of their school such that they operate within a “pay-for-play” environment.

References

1. NCCAA Division I Official Handbook (2024-2025)
2. NCCAA Division II Official Handbook (2024-2025)
3. United States Code