Intercol boss welcomes NCAA eligibility rule change
Published:Saturday | April 27, 2024 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT of the Intercollegiate Sports Association (Intercol), Paul Beckford, has described the recent announcement from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to allow immediate eligibility for athletes who transfer between universities as “welcoming”.
Beckford stated that the move allows the student-athletes to continue their life in each sport without having to sit out a year due to the former rules.
“It’s a welcome change because it now facilitates our student-athletes in a positive way. Gone are the days when student-athletes would sit out a year ... now they can move easily into competition which speeds up the process where they’re concerned. It also gives them the opportunity to continue their life in sports without a break,” Beckford said.
The Intercol president added that he believes the move will help the development of the student-athletes once they properly plan for their collegiate future.
“Once their academic performance is up to date, it lends itself to the fact that they can move forward with their sport of choice. It will benefit them greatly because once they have their goals, are focused, and know where they’re going, it will work well for them,” he added.
He admitted that there could be some negatives and instability could be one of them.
“Part of the rule states the student-athletes can transfer between numerous institutions. So, there are no limitations in the number of transfers that can be done. It also means that if they go to university ‘A’ and it doesn’t work, then a student-athlete can immediately move to university ‘B’ so instability could come into play. Not being stable can affect their academic performance and their performance in their respective sports,” Beckford said.
Beckford, who is also vice-president of administration at G.C. Foster College, added that while he has only spoken to a couple athletes since the rule change, they’ve given the changes a thumbs up.
“For the ones who intend to leave, this will be a plus to them because they now know that if they transfer from this island to another country, then they’ll be able to compete immediately. For the student-athletes that I’ve spoken to, they welcome the new changes,” Beckford shared.