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Club Sports V.S. D1 Sports

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLUB SPORTS AND NCAA DIVISION 1 SPORTS?

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Category	Club Sports	NCAA Division 1 Sports
Qualifications - Pre-University	Acceptance into the University (Yes, that is all)	Recruitment Acceptance into the University Usually a few good years in a High School Varsity Sports Program. Clearance through the NCAA Clearinghouse. https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/hs/faq.pdf
Practices	About 2-3 practices a week for most teams.	Maximum 4 hours a day and 20 hours per week. Also may require lifting hours and other team meetings.
Competition	All of our programs are involved in leagues. Their team records may lead to competition in Playoffs and maybe even National Championships.	Most of SHU's Division 1 Programs are members of the NEC Conference. There are post-seasons for all of our programs which could lead to NCAA National Tournaments.
Games	Most teams have about 6-10 games in a season.	Most teams have a full schedule with about 12-15 games plus non-conference games.
Common Opponents	Boston College, Yale, Fairfield, UCONN, Brown, UMASS, Boston University, Columbia, Hofstra, SUNY Stony Brook	Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, FDU, Wagner, LIU: Brooklyn, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA), Monmouth, CCSU, Mount St. Mary's, Bryant.
Rosters	The Club Sports Department does not have roster limits for most sports which makes it easy to get involved. Some teams may have a Travel Roster to make the team more manageable / competitive.	NCAA requirements set roster limits on each of the teams we have.
Offseason	The off-season is exactly what it sounds like...OFFSEASON. Practices / games resume the next semester or maybe even the next academic year depending on the sport. This allows athletes to play multiple sports easily.	NCAA Teams take a few weeks off after their season ends and then begin to practice during the off-season to prepare for the next season. The off-season schedule is usually lighter than the in-season schedule, but there is no extended break from practicing.
Support Services	Athletic Training Club Sports Offices Student Mentors Academic Advisors Coaches Study Hall Hours	Athletic Training Student Mentors Academic Advisors Team Mentors Team Study Hall Coaches Athletics Department

Sacred Heart University offers a wide variety of competitive club sports for the undergraduate student body. Whether you want to continue to play a sport you played in high school or learn a new skill, the Club Sports Department is the place for you to make that happen. These teams provide a great opportunity to become involved with all Sacred Heart has to offer. By joining one of these competitive club teams, you will be able to compete against other schools and universities, learn a new sport, improve your athletic ability, or just make new friends.