The bottleneck has been accreditation

Simon Fraser University's canicule of getting banned from NCAA championships may be advancing to an end.

The NCAA is on the border of traveling international. By acknowledging a change in built-in language, the NCAA's Executive Committee paved the way for SFU, amid in Burnaby, B.C., to become the aboriginal affiliate from alfresco the U.S. to accompany America's better academy sports administering body.

"I'm actually athrill to be the aboriginal Canadian academy to accompany the NCAA and to accord our student-athletes the befalling to attempt adjoin the best programs in the United States and Canada," said Milton Richards, Simon Fraser's chief administrator of contest and recreation.

All it will yield now is a vote from the Division II President's Council next Thursday. If approved, Simon Fraser could be arena amateur as of Sept. 1 as an NCAA member.

SFU has competed in NCAA for the accomplished three years as allotment of a 10-year pilot affairs for Canadian schools, but the Clan was banned from aggressive for civic championships because of its conditional status. SFU teams could alone beforehand as far as appointment championships.

It's the aboriginal time back the NCAA adopted the 10-year pilot affairs for Canadian schools that a university has confused this abutting to abounding NCAA membership.

"The better affair it bureau is that our student-athletes can accept all the abounding rights and privileges of getting a affiliate of the NCAA," said Richards.

Last year, the Simon Fraser men's soccer aggregation was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA, but it could not attempt for a civic title. Meanwhile, some SFU teams in added sports, like women's pond squad, were not accustomed to be ranked. The conditional cachet aswell denied athletes all-America awards.

Richards said the awaiting abounding cachet will abundantly enhance recruiting efforts. NCAA student-athletes are acceptable for able-bodied scholarships admitting Canadian student-athletes accept other, added bound forms of banking assistance.

"It bureau we can go out and get the best student-athletes in the apple and action them a scholarship," he said.

In the past, he said, some athletes chose CIS schools over Simon Fraser for the adventitious to attempt for civic titles. Simon Fraser, which has teams in 17 sports, will attempt in Division II, because the NCAA will not acquiesce it to access teams in Division I.

But Richards said the university will not add new sports as a aftereffect of the decision. "We accept 17 and you alone charge 10 to be a Division II member," he said. "I absolutely don't see us abacus any added programs."

Consequently, Simon Fraser will abide to go after a hockey affairs for the accountable future. Back Division II schools do not attempt in hockey, Simon Fraser would accept to address the NCAA to accretion access to Division I, he said. Although Division III schools attempt in hockey, Division II schools are not acceptable to ice teams at the lower level.

"Hockey is a altered issue," said Richards, abacus Simon Fraser will barometer absorption in ambience up a hockey program.

The administering body's accommodation to go alfresco the U.S. will aggrandize membership, accommodate added ante money to the NCAA, pave the way for added all-embracing schools to accompany the alignment and acquiesce the NCAA to extend its ability above the American borders -- as Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL accept already done.

The Executive Committee voted Wednesday to cover Mexican schools for NCAA consideration, too. The amplification to Mexico could activate as aboriginal next year if the Division II presidents accept the angle next week.

The bottleneck has been accreditation.

Current rules crave all NCAA schools to be accepted by a U.S. agency.

Division II presidents wish the accent afflicted to aswell cover schools in acceptable continuing in their own nation's accreditation affairs and has activated to one of six American accreditation agencies for approval in the U.S. The Executive Committee voted to abutment the change.

Richards fatigued that Simon Fraser still wants to attempt adjoin Canadian schools. As a result, Simon Fraser will attempt adjoin Canadian schools in non-conference amateur and added events.