Introducing NERR’s Open Gym Series
Opportunities for prospective student athletes to get real exposure to college coaches has never been more unevenly distributed than they are in 2019.
The number of days division I college coaches were permitted to watch grassroots events in the spring and summer shrunk from 21 to just 7. None of New England's six associations opted to participate in the NCAA's new June scholastic events, and less than 100 players from New England were selected to attend the NCAA Academies.
With so few opportunities to be seen in the spring and summer, finding exposure in the fall has never been more important. Unfortunately for most though, those opportunities are historically only available to those who attend major prep schools. NCAA rules preclude any division I coach from observing a perspective student-athlete unless it is in their own high school gym and when competing only with peers from that school. However, many of New England's state associations also preclude the organization of these "open gyms" as they're informally known in the prep school world.
The combination of these circumstances has created the most unlevel playing field the recruiting world has seen in recent memory.
In order to counteract this trend, NERR is making a true grassroots effort where we are going to travel to the smaller markets in the region and give the players in public schools, private schools, and even smaller prep schools a chance to regain some of the opportunities they've had taken away.
The Open Gym Series will include four stops in the fall of 2019 and will be open to both division II and division III coaches and will also be covered by our staff and own recruiting publication, which has over 200 subscribing division I institutions throughout the country.
Open Gym Series Schedule
Sunday, October 6th - ME/NH @ Southern Maine Community College
Friday, October 25th - VT @ Castleton University
Friday, November 1st - CT @ Hamden Hall's Beckerman Center
Saturday, November 2nd - MA/RI @ Clark University