Student-Athlete Amateurism

Elon University Athletics

The Official Site of Elon University Athletics

AMATEURISM

Amateur competition is a bedrock principle of college athletics and the NCAA. Maintaining amateurism is crucial to preserving an academic environment in which acquiring a quality education is the first priority. In the collegiate model of sports, the young men and women competing on the field or court are students first, athletes second.

All incoming student-athletes must be certified as amateurs in accordance with NCAA legislation. With global recruiting on the rise, determining the amateur status of a prospect can be challenging, however, all student-athletes, regardless of background, must adhere to NCAA amateurism requirements to remain eligible for intercollegiate competition.

In general, amateurism requirements do not allow:

Contracts with professional teams
Salary for athletics participation
Prize money above actual and necessary expenses*
Play with professionals
Tryouts, practice or competition with a professional team
Benefits from an agent or prospective agent
Agreement (verbally or written) to be represented by an agent
Delayed initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition

Actual and necessary expenses are defined by the NCAA as:

Meals
Lodging
Apparel, equipment, and supplies
Coaching and instruction
Health and medical insurance
Transportation (expenses to and from practice and competition, from home to training site at the beginning of the season/preparation for an event, and back home at the end of the season/event
Medical treatment and physical therapy
Facility usage
Entry fees
Other reasonable expenses

If you are unsure whether certain items meet the NCAA definition of actual and necessary, please contact the Office of Athletics Compliance.

NCAA Resources