Recruitment
OUR MISSION
The Club Sports department’s mission is to enrich students’ collegiate experience by providing the administrative structure, academic integration, and spiritual initiatives necessary to develop Christ centered teams.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE HISTORY
Modeled after an NCAA Division I athletic program, Liberty Club Sports has experienced enormous growth in a short span of time, due in large part to direct support and financial investment from the university.
Liberty’s Club Sports program began unofficially in 1985 with a collection of student-led teams that competed sporadically until 2008. The Club Sports department was officially recognized by Liberty University in 2008, and has since grown to its current status as one of the top programs in the country.
In recent years, the department renovated the ice rink and added a training complex, a lacrosse complex, an equestrian center, beach volleyball courts, and disc golf courses to Liberty’s campus. The Club Sports program has blossomed from five teams with 82 student athletes in 2008, to 40+ teams with more than 700 student athletes in 2024.
OUR SUPPORT
Our support staff within Club Sports serve student-athletes within the areas of:
Sports Medicine
Injury Evaluation/Treatment/Rehabilitation
- The main clinic is open Monday-Friday, 10:30am-5:30p. Friday’s hours vary due to home games and events.
- Partnered with Collaborative Health Partners to provide quality health care to our athletes, and we operate as Flames Performance Health.
- Satellite Clinic facilities include the LaHaye Ice Center, Club Sports Complex, Lacrosse Complex, and the Natatorium.
- Moving into a brand new 5,000 square foot facility in December 2024.
- Medical coverage of all home events and some away trips.
Facilitate Team Physician and other Dr appointments
- In the main athletic training clinic, our medical staff offer weekly appointments with the team physician, biweekly appointments with a physical therapist, and monthly appointments with the chiropractor.
- Facilitate referrals to outside physician offices including: student health, OrthoVA, Rehab Associates, and Virginia Sport & Spine.
Help File Claims with Insurance for Club Sports Injuries
- Injuries sustained during club sport actives are covered by a secondary insurance policy to help pay medical bills.
- Work in conjunction with parents to process the bills and provide an explanation of benefits.
Work with Academic Staff to Provide Support During Concussions or Surgeries
- File notes with Office of Disability Accommodation to communicate with professors regarding accommodations needed for concussions or extensive medical care.
Work with Human/Sport Performance Staff for Prevention of Injury and Injury Adaptation for Workouts & Training
- Open lines of communication with their staff to provide workouts based on injury type.
Sports Performance
Programming/Coaching/Facilitating Weekly Team Workouts
- All teams will have the ability to work out twice a week. Depending on the team and part of the season, these may be required by the sport coach, or optional.
- Workout times are based around class, practice, and competition schedules.
- Two weight room facilities: one at the LaHaye Ice Center and one at the Club Sports Complex.
Individualized/Team Approach
- Athletes will have varying levels of experience depending on the team. All athletes that are newer to training will be taught proper form, technique, and given programs to safely improve competence.
- If needed, workouts are modified for athletes due to more rigorous competition or injury limitations.
High Performance Management
- Certain teams provide data and readiness feedback to coaches.
- Assessments performed frequently in the weight room to inform athletes in areas such as lower body power and body composition.
- Able to make suggestions to coaches on how hard or easy to run next workout.
- Operate and facilitate an app and software for data collection and display across all teams.
Meeting/Communicating with Sport Coaches
- Frequent communication on practice and competition intensities. Also providing feedback on weight room performances.
- May assist coaches with practice structure, provide continuing education resources in the form of symposiums, every semester.
Work with Sports Medicine for Prevention of Injury and Injury Adaptation for Workouts
- Open lines of communication with Sports Medicine staff to provide workouts based on injury type.
- Sport coaches may meet with Strength and Condition and Sports Medicine weekly to provide most up to date information on an athletes’ status.
Disciple Making Team
The Disciple Making Team is designed to Train Champions for Christ through the teaching of God’s Word. This brings about spiritual maturity and equips our leaders to do the works which God has prepared for them.
- Spiritual leaders are picked from within each team by their coaches.
- Meet monthly with Disciple Making Team during the school year to develop, train and encourage our leaders.
- Disciple Making Team staff meets individually with every team’s spiritual leader at least twice a semester.
We have several events that we host in the fall and spring semesters.
- Disciple Making Team Retreat in August
- Night of Worship in January
- End of Semester Events
Our team works with Club Sport teams to send them on missions’ trips. Our team also coordinates with the NCAA department to have coaches’ luncheons and focus on spiritual growth of staff and coaches within NCAA and Club Sport departments.
Academic Advancement
Academic Support
- Tracks student athletes’ eligibility to make sure each are in compliance with their sport at all times.
- Four hours of study hall required weekly for all incoming freshmen and transfer students. After the first semester, student athletes with a 3.0 GPA or above are no longer required to attend study hall, unless GPA goes below a 2.5.
- CS Connect is an 8 week mentorship program that provides student athletes with academic and athletic support. In the following weeks, athletes are provided with specific academic mentoring, if necessary.
- Provide additional tutoring for student athletes.
Scheduling Assistance
- Early registration allows student athletes to plan schedule classes around their practice times and select their preferred class times and professors.
- Provide assistance if an athlete needs help scheduling classes around practice time. Provide travel letters to notify professors of absences due to away events.
Facilitate Injury/Concussion with Professors
- If a student athlete gets an injury or concussion, we’ll help coordinate with professors on what specific needs are during that time.
- For concussions, we’ll connect the student athlete to the Office of Disability Accommodation, and they will assist with long term accommodations.
In-House Advisor – Dawn Norman
- Our in-house advisor will track our student athletes’ big-picture, and ensure they are working through the courses on their Degree Completion Plan. The advisor will help plan out each semester, including summer classes and transfer credits.
STEPS FOR RECRUITMENT
- Fill out recruitment questionnaire with desired Club Sport.
- Follow up with an email to appropriate coach for desired Club Sport (see coach directory) about yourself, your experience, and what about Liberty caught your eye.
- Apply to Liberty University and get accepted.
- Set up a time to visit campus to meet everyone and see everything here in person! Make sure to communicate potential visit dates with coaches. Great times to visit campus are during one of our on campus recruitment events such as ExperienceLU, DecideLU, or College for A Weekend (CFAW), as these events provide prospective students with an abundance of information and experience.
- Attend available prospect/development/summer camps.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate! We love to get to know our prospective student athletes here at Liberty. The more you communicate with us and our coaches, the more we get to know you and the easier it is to stay in touch to make sure Liberty is a great fit or vice versa!
Tryouts:
- Tryouts are listed on our full calendar and on the schedules of each of our team's webpages.
Contact:
Email: csrecruitment@liberty.edu
Phone: 434-582-3668
Interested in being recruited for a Liberty Club Sports team? Fill out your information on one of our recruitment questionnaires below!