2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[jknezek]

Not going to lie, the W&L transfer is going to be a wrench to see in a different uniform. But... he's continuing his studies after graduating W&L and taking advantage of his 5th year. An extra year of college soccer while working toward a grad degree at an excellent school? Good for him. Once you are done, you are done, so play all you can when you can.

[Another Mom]

Agree @jknezek.  Emory is very lucky to have him!

[Kuiper]

One other development that could drive transfers and recruits to DIII in the possibly near future is roster limits.  According to one former coach/current soccer recruiting agent, they are talking about 25-30 person roster limits for soccer.  For some programs, 25-30 wouldn't be much of a change.  For others, it would definitely cut down on the available roster slots.  The rationale for the limit is that this would be a way to cut down the costs of a sport for a D1 school in a way that could be justified from a sporting integrity basis and therefore survive antitrust scrutiny

https://x.com/Don_K_Williams/status/1806024125422666170

Lots of rumors flying about D1 roster size limits
I've heard 25 & 30 as the limit numbers

Don't know what the number would end up being, but I think it's coming

[SierraFD3soccer]

One other development that could drive transfers and recruits to DIII in the possibly near future is roster limits.  According to one former coach/current soccer recruiting agent, they are talking about 25-30 person roster limits for soccer.  For some programs, 25-30 wouldn't be much of a change.  For others, it would definitely cut down on the available roster slots.  The rationale for the limit is that this would be a way to cut down the costs of a sport for a D1 school in a way that could be justified from a sporting integrity basis and therefore survive antitrust scrutiny

https://x.com/Don_K_Williams/status/1806024125422666170

Lots of rumors flying about D1 roster size limits
I've heard 25 & 30 as the limit numbers

Don't know what the number would end up being, but I think it's coming

In my opinion, that may defeat the reason for DIII men's soccer and other sports.  But for men's college sports, some men may not attend college and further erode the men women balance of attendance which is 40-60 right now.

Some D3 colleges have taken up men's sports to boost enrollment. For instance check out  https://youtu.be/1fucnBDA0Fg?si=X3K8D903JwlmUCy6

[Kuiper]

One other development that could drive transfers and recruits to DIII in the possibly near future is roster limits.  According to one former coach/current soccer recruiting agent, they are talking about 25-30 person roster limits for soccer.  For some programs, 25-30 wouldn't be much of a change.  For others, it would definitely cut down on the available roster slots.  The rationale for the limit is that this would be a way to cut down the costs of a sport for a D1 school in a way that could be justified from a sporting integrity basis and therefore survive antitrust scrutiny

https://x.com/Don_K_Williams/status/1806024125422666170

Lots of rumors flying about D1 roster size limits
I've heard 25 & 30 as the limit numbers

Don't know what the number would end up being, but I think it's coming

In my opinion, that may defeat the reason for DIII men's soccer and other sports.  But for men's college sports, some men may not attend college and further erode the men women balance of attendance which is 40-60 right now.

Some D3 colleges have taken up men's sports to boost enrollment. For instance check out  https://youtu.be/1fucnBDA0Fg?si=X3K8D903JwlmUCy6

I don't follow your logic.  The roster limits would be for DI only, not for DIII.  Do you mean the DI or bust crowd would simply not play at all rather than play DIII?  Maybe, but that exists now and there is sufficient demand to play DIII soccer to sustain a lot of programs.  My suggestion is that there would be more players who would consider DIII too as DI opportunities grow scarcer and more who would transfer to DIII when they get cut (as would happen with more frequency in a strict roster limit situation).

[SierraFD3soccer]

I don't follow your logic.  The roster limits would be for DI only, not for DIII.  Do you mean the DI or bust crowd would simply not play at all rather than play DIII?  Maybe, but that exists now and there is sufficient demand to play DIII soccer to sustain a lot of programs.  My suggestion is that there would be more players who would consider DIII too as DI opportunities grow scarcer and more who would transfer to DIII when they get cut (as would happen with more frequency in a strict roster limit situation).

You're right.  I just thought that you were saying that since it applied to D1, it would apply to D3 like many things. I reread and saw my mistake.

[Kuiper]

I don't follow your logic.  The roster limits would be for DI only, not for DIII.  Do you mean the DI or bust crowd would simply not play at all rather than play DIII?  Maybe, but that exists now and there is sufficient demand to play DIII soccer to sustain a lot of programs.  My suggestion is that there would be more players who would consider DIII too as DI opportunities grow scarcer and more who would transfer to DIII when they get cut (as would happen with more frequency in a strict roster limit situation).

You're right.  I just thought that you were saying that since it applied to D1, it would apply to D3 like many things. I reread and saw my mistake.

No worries.  I figured there was something lost in translation/

There is an open question whether DIII can stay separate from DI on the employee/antitrust stuff that I think is at the root of the proposals to limit roster sizes at DI.  The Dartmouth NLRB case had language that suggested employee status could follow from pretty minor things that happen in DIII too (like getting some gear and having to stay in the team hotel on road trips).  I doubt it would extend that far in court, but things like the Flo Sports deals definitely make me nervous about keeping DIII out of it. 

[jknezek]

I don't follow your logic.  The roster limits would be for DI only, not for DIII.  Do you mean the DI or bust crowd would simply not play at all rather than play DIII?  Maybe, but that exists now and there is sufficient demand to play DIII soccer to sustain a lot of programs.  My suggestion is that there would be more players who would consider DIII too as DI opportunities grow scarcer and more who would transfer to DIII when they get cut (as would happen with more frequency in a strict roster limit situation).

You're right.  I just thought that you were saying that since it applied to D1, it would apply to D3 like many things. I reread and saw my mistake.

No worries.  I figured there was something lost in translation/

There is an open question whether DIII can stay separate from DI on the employee/antitrust stuff that I think is at the root of the proposals to limit roster sizes at DI.  The Dartmouth NLRB case had language that suggested employee status could follow from pretty minor things that happen in DIII too (like getting some gear and having to stay in the team hotel on road trips).  I doubt it would extend that far in court, but things like the Flo Sports deals definitely make me nervous about keeping DIII out of it. 

I think at the end of the day, schools would give up Flo Sports if that was the sticking point long before they started paying players or treating them as employees.

[Newenglander]

I don't follow your logic.  The roster limits would be for DI only, not for DIII.  Do you mean the DI or bust crowd would simply not play at all rather than play DIII?  Maybe, but that exists now and there is sufficient demand to play DIII soccer to sustain a lot of programs.  My suggestion is that there would be more players who would consider DIII too as DI opportunities grow scarcer and more who would transfer to DIII when they get cut (as would happen with more frequency in a strict roster limit situation).

You're right.  I just thought that you were saying that since it applied to D1, it would apply to D3 like many things. I reread and saw my mistake.

I do think the other factor to drive movement to D3 is the new "no reentry" rules for D1 - they are applying that rule for both halves now meaning even less players seeing the field.