FAQ

What are Club Sports?
What is the difference between Club Sports and varsity athletics or intramural sports?
Who is eligible to participate?
How do I join a club?
Do I need experience? Are there tryouts?
What is the cost to join a club?
What is the time committment in belonging to a club?
When are club practices?
The sport I want to play isn't listed, how do I start a new club?

For current club members:

I registered for my club in DSE last year, do I need to do the same this year?
How do I deposit money from dues or fundraising?
How do I order equipment and supplies?
My club is traveling overnight. How do I book hotels?


Q: What are Club Sports?

Answer:
Club Sports are student-run groups that participate in competitive or instructional sporting activity within the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. They hold practices, compete, and engage in skill instruction. Since all clubs are run by members, each club culture is unique. If the topics below don't answer your additional questions, please consult our handbook, or call the Club Sports office at 781.736.3669.

Q: What is the difference between Club Sports and varsity athletics or intramural sports?

Answer:
Club Sports is almost a compromise between varsity athletics and intramural sports. Clubs hold practices like varsity sports, and most clubs have coaches. Most of our clubs also compete against other schools. But, unlike varsity athletics, club members have more flexibility with their participation. Each member can decide on their own how much time to invest in the club. Similar to intramural sports, club sports are for pure recreation, even if they happen to be competitive clubs. Clubs generally practice two or three times per week, so the time commitment, even for someone who attends every practice, is far less than a varsity sport.

Q: Who is eligible to participate?

Answer:
All current members of the Brandeis community are eligible; undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. Alumni are not eligible. Some leagues may prohibit all but undergraduate students from competition.

Q: How do I join a club?

Answer:
It's as simple as just showing up. Almost. Each club dictates what it takes to be an official member of the club. Usually, that means showing up to a certain percentage of club activities. Beyond that, all you need is to have turned in an eligibility form, and you're a member.

Q: Do I need experience? Are there tryouts?

Answer:
The short answer to both is no. Clubs are not permitted to hold tryouts for the purposes of making roster cuts. Anybody who wishes to belong to the club may do so. Experience is likely to get you more playing time in our competitive clubs, but it is not necessary.

Q: What is the cost to join a club?

Answer:
That depends on the club, and your level of involvement. Many of our clubs have no out-of-pocket expense to their members. Some of our more active clubs do require that members chip in for travel or other expenses (In the form of dues), which are generally not fully funded by club budgets.

Q: What is the time committment in belonging to a club?

Answer:
That depends on the club, and how active you want to be in it. Most clubs practice two or three times per week, and compete once per week during their competitive seasons. Members who attend more practices are most likely to travel to away competitions and receive more playing time, but all clubs understand that everyone has other time commitments. Having a leadership role within the club will certainly increase your time commitment, but generally, a student who is fully invested in the club will spend between 5-10 hours per week engaged in club activity.

Q: When are club practices?

Answer:
Most clubs practice in the afternoon and evening. Practice times change throughout the year, so the best thing to do is to refer to a club's web page.

Q: The sport I want to play isn't listed, how do I start a new club?

Answer:
Before you attempt to start a new club in our program, you should first know that we don't duplicate any varsity sports. If you're still interested, then the thing to do is get yourself chartered with the Student Union. (They will provide the guidance on that process.) Once you've established yourself as a club, demonstrated the ability to sustain interest, and met our other criteria, you can request to petition the Club Sports Council. The Council is made up of seven club leaders, and is the body that approves any changes to the program.

Q: I registered for my club in DSE last year, do I need to do the same this year?

Answer:
Yes. For liability purposes, every year you must register in DSE, and for every different sport.

Q: How do I deposit money from dues or fundraising?

Answer:
Bring it into the Club Sports office. Off-campus banking is prohibited, so all financial transactions are handled by the Club Sports Coordinator. Cash and check deposits are not done daily so allow for some time before your money is available.

Q: How do I order equipment or supplies?

Answer:
All purchases must be done by the Club Sports Coordinator.  Clubs can meet with the CSC face to face or email specific links for what they need.

Q: My club is traveling overnight. How do I book hotels?

Answer:
All Hotel reservations are made through the Club Sports Coordinator.  Let the CSC know dates and location as soon as possible and reservations will be made in club personnel names. Often times a CC authorization will need to be done by the CSC.