The ASSU has made plans to provide more funding for club sports teams, according to ASSU President Robbie Zimbroff ’12. The extra funding, which is in addition to money collected from team dues, fundraising revenue and Club Sports Council funding, will be put in place early this quarter.
The ASSU will work with the Department of Athletics and Pam Mahlow, director of club sports, on the funding project, with the money coming from the ASSU Executive and Student Affairs.
Zimbroff expects the groups will be able to provide $7,000 in funding to begin with, but the final amount has not yet been determined. Club sports will use the funding to cover dues and fees for students with financial need and to fund competitions.
“We are planning on having yearly funding for this– we’re not just going to hand clubs money and leave it at that,” Zimbroff said.
Zimbroff said that the new funding will help make up for budget cuts made in response to the recession, with the goal of providing full need-based funding.
“Our thought is that money should never restrict students from participating in sports on campus, especially when some students choose Stanford over athletic scholarships offers because of the academic opportunities,” he said.
Club sports teams are split into two categories— 23 teams that receive funding from the Club Sports Council, which can be supplemented by team dues and fundraising, and seven ASSU athletic club teams, which are only funded by team dues and fundraising. All told, more than 1,100 students play club sports at Stanford, including sports that are not part of the varsity sports program such as archery, badminton and squash.
Club Sports Council funding is allocated to teams on a petition basis following at least three years of team stability and a probationary year. Teams qualify if expenses are in the following categories: honoraria (which include salaries for coaches and referees and team gifts), equipment, maintenance, uniforms, facility rental, travel fares, accommodations and registration fees. Funding per team member depends on the expenses of each team and how much income teams have from dues and fundraising.
“Among other things, club sports is an opportunity for kids who want to stay competitive in the sports they love,” Zimbroff said. “So making students choose between high-caliber athletics and academics if finances are an issue is a tough pill to swallow.”