Even Though No One Sees Us, We Are Still Santa Clara Athletes

Minimal funding and support for club sports leaves teams to their own devices year after year

Student-athletes on club teams are left in the dust when it comes to funding, support and facilities. The abysmal structure of the program leaves staff stretched thin and students strapped for cash as the 700 athletes eke out each season. 

This week, we’re taking the microscope to the club sports program at Santa Clara. Various team presidents and representatives gave a clear vision of the inner workings, conflicts and feelings embedded in the system.

Funding

“The program is mainly funded through individual team dues and fundraising. This year the program has received $40,000…to allocate to the 17 teams whose operating expenses will exceed at least $700,000,” said Club Sports Director Kathryn Hutchings. 

The remaining $660,000 to finance the club teams will come partially from team-specific fundraisers throughout the seasons, but mostly from student-athlete dues. The Santa Clara Fund provides some relief as a donation pool dedicated to aiding undergraduate endeavors in all capacities, but it’s far from enough.

Hutchings has been in her position at Santa Clara for 11 years, and in that time, the amount of money given to club sports has not changed, despite a serious uptick in student involvement. She’s also the only full-time faculty member in charge of the travel, funding allocation, concussion protocol and athlete safety for all 17 teams. 

Every student-athlete in the club sports program has to pay their own way through the season with their dues, which affects the makeup and size of the teams. The amount owed can range from $250 to $3000. On top of school and life costs, dues force many prospective athletes to forego participation for lack of funds. 

For teams like men’s hockey, who have to pay for all of their own off-campus facilities, rosters are greatly affected by the high participation costs. 

“The Santa Clara Fund is very helpful money for teams that don’t have to pay for practice funds,” said men’s ice hockey team president Brian Weitzenkamp. “Ice costs are $530/hour. With two hour-long practices a week, we’re not given a fair shot. To host a single home game costs $1750, and we’re mandated by the ACHA to play at least 16 games.”

The equestrian team has to commute an hour outside of Santa Clara for their practices. With no facilities whatsoever on campus, the athletes are expected to pay for driving, expensive gear, horse care and more out-of-pockets. Their dues cover membership in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and little else.

“Funding is a big barrier to entry for us, especially because we have to commute everywhere and horses are animals, so we have to have people willing to help us around the clock with them,” said team president Elois Farnsworth. “I think the entirety of club sports is severely underfunded, which is unfortunate but it’s true. I don’t know how all of the teams have managed to do the best they can do, with what we get from the school, but it’s still not enough to get the level of engagement that anyone would want from a team.” 

For women’s rugby, funding provides a constant barrier to progress and upward expansion despite passion from coaches, athletes and the university community. Without help from the university, this team is yet another that lacks administrative care or investment.

“This is not a criticism of the club sports program at all, but of the Santa Clara administration. We just don’t have the resources, so it’s really hard to switch tiers or even take on more athletes,” said team president Kris Fischer-Colbrie. “There is a monetary hurdle you have to cross to play our sport. It’s easy to join and play if you have the finances for it, and if not there is some limited assistance, but it sucks that we have to worry about that at all.”

Concussion Protocol & Support

Campus Recreation requires club and intramural athletes to clear concussion protocol from an ImPACT certified doctor. Such doctors are rare in Santa Clara, and as a result, those clinics are inundated with requests for concussion clearance every season. Since they serve multiple educational organizations in the county, the high demand creates long wait and response times. 

In contrast, Santa Clara Athletics has a team of nine ImPACT certified athletic trainers for the Division I teams, as well as several on-and-off site ImPACT doctors. The university funds these services for athletes entirely, and club sports has zero access to any of them. Club sports athletes will not even find an ImPACT certified doctor at Cowell. They struggle immensely with access to adequate medical services and concussion safety. 

“The whole system for concussions is horrible. I get the importance of [getting cleared by an ImPACT doctor] but it’s actually making people less likely to come forward and tell us that they hurt their heads.” said Fischer-Colbrie. “The process is so difficult. Without proper personnel on campus or anyone who responds in a timely manner, it’s putting athletes at a huge risk.” 

As a result of the glaringly minimal support within club sports, Kathryn Hutchings must handle everything regarding concussion safety and protocol. She has to: she’s the only contact available for club sports athletes. 

“When I had an athlete with a head injury, I had to call Katherine at 12:30am for support,” said Weitzenkamp on the topic of support. “All 17 club sports funnel through her for everything. She’s responsible for everyone’s safety, so when my athletic trainer says I’ve got a possible head injury, I have to call Katherine in the middle of the night.” 

Facilities

Athletics support for club sports is so limited that even using the fields before 6pm is a stretch – never mind funding and trainers. 

When asked if there was any hope for more support, Hutchings stated: “ I do not anticipate any significant changes in the near future.”

17 club teams are crammed onto either Bellomy or Stanton Field between 6pm and 10pm to get their minimum practice time in. To make matters worse, they have to pay. Women’s rugby practices three times a week, and gets the smallest amount of field space, according to Fischer-Colbrie. They are only allotted 1/16 of the field. With over 40 athletes on the field at a time, the team is packed like sardines into their provided zone.

Men’s ice hockey? Forget about it. With no facilities close by and the cost of practice ice, each athlete spends thousands of dollars out-of-pocket just to work on their skills. 

“We are a club that doesn't have any facilities available to us for hockey-specific activities,” said Head Coach Jackson Morgus. “I love to see all club sports supported, but we have historically gotten the same level of financial support as clubs that play all of their competitions in the bay area and have on campus facilities.”

Key Messages

The success of club sports teams has come as a result of their united determination – club sports are a home, a family for hundreds of students. 

“We’re really trying so much more this year to create a safe space for people of color on our team and making sure that our rugby board is representative of our team,” said Fischer-Colbrie of the rugby team. “We’re also teaming up with the MCC to alter the practice schedule so it doesn’t interfere with clubs that create a safe space for Black students on campus.”

Weitzenkamp reiterated the feeling of connection. “The one thing that’s important to me is that this is my family. Santa Clara club sports is a big family, and it’s so sad and frustrating to see us not getting the support we need for success,” he said. “I hope that everyone feels included in all aspects, and that they find their own family on campus…I wish there were less barriers from the school to finding your family, whatever that means for them.”

“Even though we’re not a traditional ball sport, we’re still a sport and still competitive athletes, and still garner a lot of interest from the student body,” said Farnsworth. “We are a team, we do hold space in this school. Even though we don’t practice here, even though no one sees us, we are still Santa Clara athletes.”

The truth is apparent: the Santa Clara club sports program is woefully under-funded and under-supported by the administration, but not for lack of resources. It seems as though that won’t change anytime soon, either.