The Collegiate Water Polo Association is a unique conference, comprised of varsity and collegiate club teams. Financially they differ significantly since each class of membership pays different officiating rates, plays a different number of games, and offers slightly different services. For example, in 2017-18 fees for the Division I Varsity teams ranged over $4,000, Division III Varsity Women paid about $3,400, while the clubs paid $2,750.

Fees for each class include three primary items:

• Overhead/Event Management
• Officiating
• Officiating Education

Overhead/Event Management:

All teams pay an overhead/event management fee that is shared equally across the board. This shared fee includes items like rent, salaries, awards, and office expenses.

Officiating:

All costs associated with officiating (game fees, transportation, lodging, and per diem) are assigned to the appropriate class of competition and tallied at the end of the season to determine a cost per game. There are three distinct classes:

• Club
• Division III women
• Division I Women/All Varsity Men

Clubs have the least expensive game rate, since they pay the least expensive officiating rates and play all their games in a tournament format. Division III women pay the varsity rate for officials, but compete entirely in weekend formats, which makes travel costs more efficient than single games. Varsity Men and Division I Women play fewer games per weekend, while paying the higher rate for officials, leaving them with the most expensive game rates.

Officiating Education:

Each class of membership listed above also pays a different referee education fee, based on the costs associated with training the officials used for their competition. Varsity teams require their referees to undergo periodic evaluations, register for Arbiter, and attend the Rules Forum, which makes their share of referee education costs much higher than the clubs, whose referees are only evaluated at the National Championship.

Questions related to the funding process can be directed to the office at 610-277-6787 or office@collegiatewaterpolo.org.