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Committee members are empowering on-field officials to stop a game during a situation that compromises the safety of participants and fans or affects the integrity of the game.
For example, during the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship game between Appalachian State and Delaware in Chattanooga, Tennessee, fans began leaving the stands with about four minutes left in the contest to stand on the sidelines. While no negative incidents were reported, it’s a situation the committee doesn’t want repeated.
“We have an obligation to maintain a safe environment and protect the teams and fans to the best of our abilities,” said committee Chair John McCutcheon, the director of athletics at Massachusetts. “All it would take is for the wrong person, at the wrong time, making the wrong comment, and you could have an ugly situation. We don’t want anything to happen that will diminish the championship experience.”
In the future, on-field officials will be expected to stop the game until the playing area is cleared.
Since this policy encompasses the entire championship, institutions that fail to manage crowd control could lose the chance to host future FCS postseason games. This part of the proposal would have to be approved by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet.
“We’re looking at different scenarios where we can work with the host organization in terms of providing access in the stands if an emergency situation arises,” McCutcheon said. “There may be a call-in hotline number or text message system, if a situation needs to be addressed.”
Committee members also reviewed attendance and television ratings of the championship.
The final game on December 14 drew a neutral-field record crowd of 23,010 to Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium/Davenport Field.
Overall, the championship drew 179,046 fans, which is an average of 11,936 per game. Those numbers are comparable to attendance for the 2006 tournament.
The cable television rating for the championship final on ESPN increased to a 1.51 compared to 1.26 rating of 2006. Also, 3.6 million people viewed the game, which is an increase over the 2.9 million from the previous year.
Appalachian State’s presence in the final contributed to the increase. The Mountaineers opened the season with a shocking upset at then-No. 5 Michigan and drew attention to the quality of play throughout the FCS.
“When you look at it closer, you see that (Appalachian State over Michigan) wasn’t an isolated situation,” McCutcheon said. “We had several FCS teams beat Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and we had some where the games were very competitive. It shows the competitive level that FCS football has reached.”
Denver Youth Football Coach Recognized
For Exceptional Work in Mentoring Today's Youth
Jose Cardenas Receives Responsible Coaching Award and $500 Grant from Liberty Mutual
February 20th, 2008
DENVER - Liberty Mutual, one of the nation's leading auto and home insurers, has selected youth football coach Jose Cardenas of the Johnson Boys & Girls Club in Denver as a 2007 Responsible Coaching Award winner. The award honors nearly 100 football and soccer coaches countywide who best reflect character building and sportsmanship in their approach to mentoring young athletes. Liberty Mutual will provide the Johnson Boys & Girls Club with a $500 grant in honor Jose Cardenas' award.
"The Responsible Coaching Award celebrates tangible examples of the dedication and selflessness of youth coaches across America who give of themselves to teach our children the rules of sport and fair play, and, in many cases, the rules of life," said Greg Gordon, vice president of Consumer Marketing at Liberty Mutual. "Youth coaches like Jose Cardenas create positive environments for children that we can all emulate."
Jose Cardenas was among thousands of coaches countrywide nominated online by parents, peers and organizations at www.responsiblesports.com between September 17 and December 7, 2007. Winning coaches were selected by a committee of representatives from Positive Coaching Alliance, USA Football, US Youth Soccer and Liberty Mutual.
By Laura Albanese
December 20th, 2007
Nearly 40 students, football players past and present, and other supporters congregated in the bitter chill Wednesday outside the Half Hollow Hills East administrative office in Dix Hills with a single purpose: to rally around a coach.
David Pitman, the third-year coach who players said reinvented a faltering football program, was relieved of his duties last week after a 1-7 season. Because of confidentiality laws, school officials could not disclose why Pitman was released.
For nearly an hour, the protesters encouraged passing cars to honk in support of Pitman - the cacophony of chants and beeps drowned out conversation. Students recently made T-shirts and distributed petitions that garnered about 500 signatures.
Charlotte News AreaLast week, a Lincoln County eighth grader died from injuries he sustained during a football game. Some experts say more can be done to keep the youngest players safe.
“Youth football's not getting as much attention as of course high school and college football and they probably need more, more emergency care than they are getting at the present time,” said Dr. Frederick O. Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research.
Mueller collects and analyzes data on sport injuries across the country. He said younger athletes aren't hurt as often as their older counterparts, but are at risk.
| Adirondack CC | 4/1 & 4/8 |
| Broome CC | June 7, 2008 |
| Cayuga CC | Fall 2008 |
| Clinton CC | May 27, 2008 |
| Corning CC | |
| Columbia-Greene CC | July 19, 2008 |
| Dutchess CC | May 18, 2008 |
| Erie CC | TBA |
| F.I.T. | TBA |
| Finger Lakes CC | May 28th, 2008 |
| Fulton-Montgomery CC | May 15, 2008 |
| Herkimer CC | June 2008 |
| Hudson Valley CC | May 6, 2008 |
| Jamestown CC | March 2008 |
| Jefferson CC | May 21, 2008 |
| Mohawk Valley CC | March 29, 2008 |
| Monroe CC | TBA |
| Nassau CC | 3/1 & 3/11 |
| Niagara CC | May 28, 2008 |
| Onondaga CC | April 26, 2008 |
| SUNY Orange CC | TBA |
| SUNY Rockland CC | May 6, 2008 |
| Schenectady CC | Summer 2008 |
| Suffolk CC | June 6, 2008 |
| Sullivan CC | TBA |
| Tompkins Cortland CC | May 5, 2008 |
| Ulster CC | April 8, 2008 |
| Westchester CC | March 25, 2008 |
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