GARDEN GROVE, California --- The NCAA Division I and II Management Councils have initiated legislation creating a central processing center that will certify the amateur status of prospective student-athletes entering the two divisions.

The NCAA Amateurism Clearinghouse will likely receive a final vote in Division I in April and Division II in January, which would allow the program to be up and running for the 2006-07 academic year.

Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice-president for membership services, told the Management Councils at their summer meetings that plans for the clearinghouse are already underway in anticipation of approval from the membership.

"We continue to pursue an aggressive timeline," Lennon said.  "Next year’s high school seniors, or those who are enrolling for the first time in an NCAA Division I or Division II institution, will have their amateur status reviewed by the amateurism clearinghouse."

Lennon also pointed out that the clearinghouse legislation does not create new amateurism bylaws.  Rather it assists institutions in administering existing rules.

Along with Lennon, the clearinghouse initiative is being led by Dave Schnase, managing director of membership services and Bill Saum, director of membership services/amateurism issues.  A 20-member advisory group comprising representatives from Division I and II institutions is providing feedback and guidance as the clearinghouse is developed. 

NCAA President Myles Brand authorized the Amateurism Clearinghouse in response to growing concerns in the membership about amateurism issues related to domestic and international prospective student-athletes.

It has been increasingly difficult for institutions to determine the amateur status of international prospects because of the complexities of defining what constitutes professional competition in other countries.  Likewise, certifying domestic prospects is made more difficult by the growing number of club leagues, particularly in basketball and soccer, and the fact that those teams travel across the country more than in the past.

The clearinghouse will help maintain equity in recruiting by providing consistent information about prospective and transfer student-athletes hoping to compete at Division I and II institutions.  Currently, some institutions are at a disadvantage because they lack the financial and staffing resources to investigate a student-athlete’s background.

“The Division II membership has overwhelmingly embraced this concept because it levels the playing field.  No longer will one institution have access to information concerning a prospect’s eligibility that other schools lack,” said Paul Engelmann, Division II Management Council chair and faculty athletics representative from Central Missouri State University.

"This is information that every school currently pursues individually," Ron Wellman, Division I Management Council chair and director of athletics at Wake Forest University, added.  "The process will be much clearer with a central unit obtaining the information.  It will relieve schools of a lot of work and produce more reliable, consistent information."

While the clearinghouse is still very much a work in progress, it will likely be operated through online filing.  Prospects and transfers will be required to complete an online questionnaire about their athletics history.  Among other things, the questionnaire will ask about contracts, salaries, prize money, and other benefits and activities that might impact a prospect’s status as an amateur.

The information supplied by the prospect will be reviewed and a determination will be made as to whether the prospect should be certified or if a penalty should be assessed prior to certification.  There will also be an appellate process.

It is anticipated that the clearinghouse will make certification decisions on approximately 140,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students each year.