FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

I believe they split them up into two. But I don't pay a ton of attention to D3 JV.

[umhb2001]

I believe they split them up into two. But I don't pay a ton of attention to D3 JV.

Interesting. Is there any regulation on how many JV teams a school can have?

[tigerfanalso]

I don't think there is one D3 school in Va/Nc that field a JV team.

[jknezek]

I don't think there is one D3 school in Va/Nc that field a JV team.

Hard to do in a vacuum. If you have the only JV team, who will they play? But if you have a bunch of schools with 150+ player rosters in the area, it starts to make some sense. W&L struggles to get up to 100 players, so I doubt it's in the cards for the Generals even if other schools went that direction. You have to really focus on football to bring in that number of kids for one sport, especially given the size of most of the ODAC and USASC schools.

[Pat Coleman]

JV teams generally find plenty of competition with junior colleges. Most JV programs play in the area of three or four games, just to get the freshmen some playing time.

[D3MAFAN]

JV teams generally find plenty of competition with junior colleges. Most JV programs play in the area of three or four games, just to get the freshmen some playing time.

And keep parents happy.

[Pat Coleman]

Agreed. And to keep kids from pondering other sides of the fence where the grass might be greener.

[umhb2001]

Agreed. And to keep kids from pondering other sides of the fence where the grass might be greener.

We've had a pretty good JV program for ever. They play several games a season and it really helps the team grow and get better. Surprised more teams don't try to implement one.

[jknezek]

Agreed. And to keep kids from pondering other sides of the fence where the grass might be greener.

We've had a pretty good JV program for ever. They play several games a season and it really helps the team grow and get better. Surprised more teams don't try to implement one.

Its about time and money. Pretty clear that the top teams in the country benefit from JV teams, but it may not be worth it for a lot of schools. There is a discussion on the NCAC boards about Oberlin's low player count. Having 100+ rosters is restricted in some conferences (NJAC) or uncommon in others. There just isn't a call to spend the time and money to have the teams and the games, to recruit that many kids knowing your turnover rate or the odds of those kids getting on the field, or to try and get that many through the admissions process.

All that being said, if you want to be an elite D3 team, JV teams are probably approaching the level of necessity.

[Hawks88]

Being able to have a JV team has been very valuable in the growth of our program. We've been lucky to have LaGrange, BSC, and Faulkner all close by with JV teams so that we can usually get 6 games in each season by playing a home-and-home against each. That experience goes a long way for guys that may not get varsity playing time until their second or third year.

[umhb2001]

Being able to have a JV team has been very valuable in the growth of our program. We've been lucky to have LaGrange, BSC, and Faulkner all close by with JV teams so that we can usually get 6 games in each season by playing a home-and-home against each. That experience goes a long way for guys that may not get varsity playing time until their second or third year.

That is how UMHB does it. Our location makes it easier that's for sure. It amazes me, with all of the options players have, how we field so many guys. Just a testament about how good Coach Fred and the staff have done.

Good luck to all as practices kick off soon and play. May God bless your teams with health and safety. And let's beat MU!!

[Pat Coleman]

Agreed. And to keep kids from pondering other sides of the fence where the grass might be greener.

We've had a pretty good JV program for ever. They play several games a season and it really helps the team grow and get better. Surprised more teams don't try to implement one.

Its about time and money. Pretty clear that the top teams in the country benefit from JV teams, but it may not be worth it for a lot of schools. There is a discussion on the NCAC boards about Oberlin's low player count. Having 100+ rosters is restricted in some conferences (NJAC) or uncommon in others. There just isn't a call to spend the time and money to have the teams and the games, to recruit that many kids knowing your turnover rate or the odds of those kids getting on the field, or to try and get that many through the admissions process.

All that being said, if you want to be an elite D3 team, JV teams are probably approaching the level of necessity.

Four ODAC teams reported an initial roster of 120 or more and six reported one of 110 or more. It might not work at W&L but lack of bodies is not a reason for the rest of the ODAC to eschew playing a couple of JV games.

[tigerfanalso]

Back in the day HSC played a JV schedule. Schedule included Ferrum JV, Fork Union Post Grad, James Madison JV and that was it. Don't know when and/or why the JV schedule was removed from the program but I'm certain $$$$ had something to do with it.

[Scots13]

Back in the day HSC played a JV schedule. Schedule included Ferrum JV, Fork Union Post Grad, James Madison JV and that was it. Don't know when and/or why the JV schedule was removed from the program but I'm certain $$$$ had something to do with it.

HSC and Macon played a JV game in 2008 in Ashland and if I remember correctly, quite a few people were there.  I think that was the only game they played. A good buddy of mine played at HSC at year.

[jknezek]

Back in the day HSC played a JV schedule. Schedule included Ferrum JV, Fork Union Post Grad, James Madison JV and that was it. Don't know when and/or why the JV schedule was removed from the program but I'm certain $$$$ had something to do with it.

I'm thinking $$$ in one form or another is usually the answer to these questions. While football may not be crazy expensive on a "per athlete" basis, it is the most expensive in terms of lump sum paid. I think the 2004-2011 study the NCAA did showed at the DIII level football cost more than twice as much as the next closest sport (ice hockey followed closely by basketball). I don't even want to remember how lopsided the total coaches' salaries column looked. A JV team simply adds to that overall expense, especially in the fixed cost area of coaches' salaries. I suppose it varies for each school how much they want to focus on each sport and the relative benefits they receive from that focus.

None of which diminishes the advantages of having a JV program, in any sport, which should be considerable. If a school wants to have a JV program in football, basketball, soccer, or skiing, more power to them. It must serve their institutional goals and I can think of more than a few ways that could happen. If a school forgoes a JV program, good for them. I can think of more than a few ways extra money can be spent on a campus both inside and outside an athletic department.

It all goes back to the overriding guidelines of DIII, which are extremely inclusive. You can pretty much spend money however you want in DIII so long as you aren't offering athletic scholarships or paying players. It's up to each school what division of resources is most advantageous to them...