SCHEDULING, NEW MEDIA AMONG ITEMS DISCUSSED AT CAA ANNUAL MEETINGS
RICHMOND, Va. (June 11, 2010) – The approval of conference schedules in basketball and football, the creation of a task force to study new media opportunities and the announcement of new officers were among the highlights of the four-day Colonial Athletic Association annual meetings last week.
In men’s basketball, the CAA will continue to use a hybrid 18-game conference schedule that was initially developed in 2005-06. Each school has five permanent partners that it plays home and away each season, and then faces the other six conference opponents twice at home and twice on the road over a three-year period. Schools will be given the option of selecting new permanent playing partners for the upcoming schedule, which begins in 2011-12. In women’s basketball, a number of different scheduling options for the future are still being explored.
CAA Football’s conference schedule for 2011 was approved by the athletics directors. The conference expands to 11 members in 2011 with the addition of Old Dominion University. The CAA Football scheduling format for 2012, in which Georgia State University becomes the league’s 12th member, was reviewed but no conclusion was reached.
A task force was created to study new media opportunities and how the conference can best make use of the changing technology. Athletic directors listened to presentations on new media along with receiving presentations from the league’s television partners and its sports marketing firm.
Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, Chancellor at UNC Wilmington, was appointed Chair of the CAA Council of Presidents. UNC Wilmington athletics director Kelly Mehrtens was appointed President of the CAA Executive Committee. Both will serve two-year terms as head of the committees.
In other action, the format and sites for CAA championships in 2010-11 were approved and there was a review of operations at the CAA men’s and women’s basketball championships. Each school also agreed to upgrade its Precision Timing System for basketball.
The CAA’s operational budget for the 2010-11 year was approved. The conference also announced that it would be distributing $1.6 million back to its member schools, which is the highest amount in league history.