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Starting A New Club

The moratorium on new club applications that has been in place for the past several years has officially been lifted as of November 2016. All interested parties are now welcome to submit new club applications as per the requirements below.

Detailed Description

View a detailed description of club recognition and de-recognition policies

Timeline

  • New club applications will reviewed every other year (in the Spring of Odd numbered years). This allows recently accepted clubs to be on-boarded into the system, and allows clubs considering submitting an application to prepare
  • The next deadline for new club applications is April 30th 2025
  • The Club Sports Council begins reviewing applications for new clubs after the spring break holiday for recognition during the following fall semester and will notify applicants of their status on a rolling basis

Prior to the official recognition process, groups should read the below information and contact the Officers at csc-officers@mit.edu to ensure the new group is a good match for the Club Sports program before the application process.

Considerations

The Club Sports Council Officers will consider the following criteria when evaluation applications for new clubs:

  1. Membership/Leadership – groups must be student-formed and led.  The roster must contain at least 10 members, 50% of which are MIT students. The club must be moderated by at least 2 full-time MIT students in designated “President” and “Treasurer” roles. Additionally, under current rules, all members must meet the club sport eligibility guidelines possess a valid MIT athletic card.
  2. Instructional/Competitive Nature – all groups must be either primarily instructional or competitive to be a Club Sport. Instructional clubs must have a qualified instructor, a measurable progression of skill, and the majority of time during club meetings must be used for instruction. Competitive clubs meet to train for competition in an approved league. Groups that meet primarily to play informally (such as pick-ups) or for social purposes are considered recreational groups and will not be recognized as Club Sports. Seeking recognition as an ASA group is generally recommended for groups of this nature.
  3. Uniqueness – New groups must be distinct from existing Club Sports in order to be recognized. Groups representing a sport that already has an existing club are unlikely to be recognized.
  4. Survivability – for a new group to be recognized, it will need to be a group that is likely to continue in existence over a long period of time. Factors involved in this include availability of coaching/instructors, availability of local competition for competitive clubs, and overall student interest.

Application Proposal

Aspects to address in a club sport proposal include:

  • Purpose and objectives of your club (instructional, recreational, competitive, etc.)
  • What are your facility needs? (practice frequency, time, location, flexibility, hosting competitions, etc.)
  • What are your equipment and storage needs?
  • What are your financial needs?  Must include a “mock” budget for review listing start-up costs, year to year costs such as instructor/coaching fees, entry fees, league fees, officials’ fees, travel fees (van rental, gas, food, lodging), etc.  Include your planned income (dues, fundraising, etc.) How do you plan to pay for the club’s expenses?
  • Are there other local teams to play?  Is there a recognized league/association for this sport?  If so, please provide name and website.
  • What are the safety concerns relevant to this type of activity?
  • How many interested students do you have? (must list at least 10-15 interested students, ID numbers, and graduation year)
  • Explain your sport specific and leadership experience (also include this for other likely team leaders/officers)
  • Do you have an instructor or coach already? What are their qualifications? If you do not have one, where will you get one?
  • Any other information that may help us better understand the mission or needs of your group.

Submission

The proposal should be submitted to the Club Sport Council at csc-officers@mit.edu

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