Scheduling Guidelines

• Harvard and the Club Sports Office reserves the right to change or cancel any practice or home match.
• All club participants must have a recreational membership to access the gyms.
• Club sports do not receive any athletic pardon for missing academic commitments due to club practices and home or away contests.
• Club sport organizations are not permitted to host practices, games, competitions, tournaments, or special events in Department of Harvard Athletics & Recreation facilities without prior approval/reservations from the Club Sport Office (CSO).
• All club sport organization facility reservations must be used.
• Cancelations:
  • If a club cancels a practice, game, or any reservation, the club’s officers must inform the CSO at least 24 hours before the reservation is in effect.
  • Failure to use a reserved area may impact the club’s ability to reserve facilities for future use.
• All clubs are responsible for their own competitive schedules.
• Qualified officials, athletic trainers or EMTs (where appropriate), timers and scoreboards should be secured well in advance by the club.

• Practice/activity reservations are communicated to clubs the week prior to the start of each semester. The approved time slots are based the practice preference form and on previous reservations.
• Club sports are given a minimum of 4 hours of practice time per week (minimum may vary based on facility). Certain timeslots are subject to change more frequently than others.
• Clubs are eligible to request additional time slots based on facility/field availability.
  • Additional requests are handled on a first-come-first-serve basis.
• Clubs are required to confirm their primary/most desired timeslots if granted more than 4 hours.
  • This information is used to adjust schedules when conflicts or cancelations occur.
• Club officers must notify the CSO 24 hours in advance if canceling practice. Harvard’s athletic spaces are in high demand and schedules must be updated to reflect cancelations as soon as possible. Failure to communicate cancellations with the CSO may result in the loss of access to practice spaces.
• Club officers must continuously and diligently check all facility schedules to be aware of updates, facility hours, and varsity/other events. It is important to reference Harvard’s online/public recreation facility schedules frequently as they are subject to change.
• All clubs are required to clean up after their respective activities.
  • Equipment must be returned to its original locations.
• Employees of the respective facilities have the authority to deny unauthorized persons access to the facility.
• Club sports may not alter the facility in any way. This includes removing signs from walls, erasing the white boards, moving and unplugging equipment, or turning off lights, fans, and climate control systems labeled with signs prohibiting such actions.
• Club sports may not move mats from one part of the facility to the other unless approved by recreation management and/or the CSO.
• All club sport activities must end with sufficient time allowed to ensure that all participants exit the building promptly before building closure.
• Inspect fields and facilities prior to every practice session, game, or special event. Report unsafe conditions to the CSO immediately. Do not use facilities if they are unsafe.
• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco are not permitted in or on any Harvard University athletic and recreation facility or outdoor space.

• All event requests must be submitted two weeks prior to the event date to be considered. Requests made within the two-week period will immediately be denied.
• Event requests are submitted through SOCO, Harvard College’s Student Organization Center Online, using the “Create Event” button located on your organization’s page.
• Event requests will be processed by the CSO as quickly as possible, and the submission will be updated as “approved” or “denied” on SOCO.
  • Please note, depending on the type and location of the request, approval may require more details and approval could take longer than expected.
• It is recommended that clubs schedule approximately the same number of home and away contests. Home contests require the appropriate documents before approval (i.e., Liability Certification of Insurance COI).
• Opponents must be notified of any changes as soon as possible.
• Games or competitions scheduled during club practice slots must be submitted as an event request through SOCO. If a club holds a game without notifying the CSO, access to the facility may be revoked.
• There are no rental fees associated with club sport event requests. As a result, club sports must be flexible, understanding, and most importantly, respectful of the scheduling process and facilities.

• Practice: recurring assigned timeslots in various athletics facilities.
• Game/Competition: a game is defined as a competition or event with one-two non-Harvard affiliate teams scheduled in/on a Harvard Athletics facility lasting up to 3 consecutive hours.
• Tournament: a tournament is defined as a competition with 3 or more non-Harvard affiliated teams scheduled in/on a Harvard Athletics facility lasting more than 3 consecutive hours.
• Special Event: a competition or event requiring more than one outdoor athletic space exceeding 7 consecutive hours or an indoor space requiring a facility to be offline for more than 6 consecutive hours. (i.e.: the entire MAC (Malkin Athletic Center) gym floor)

• Harvard and the Club Sports Office reserves the right to change or cancel any practice or home match.
• Club sport organizations are eligible to host one tournament per semester provided the activity and event needs can be safely and reasonably accommodated.
  • Additional event requests may be submitted to the CSO for consideration.
• Club sport organizations are eligible to host one special event per academic year provided the activity and event needs can be safely and reasonably accommodated.
  • Additional event requests may be submitted to the CSO for consideration.
  • Hosting a special event may reduce the number of permitted home games/competitions.
• Harvard club sports are eligible to schedule activities starting on the first day of fall term classes and must conclude activities on the last day of spring term classes.
  • For the 2023-24 academic year: September 5, 2023 – December 6, 2023 & January 22, 2024 – April 24, 2024.
• Club sports are not permitted to reserve any facilities during reading period, exams, or vacations, unless granted special permission by the CSO.
  • Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis, with a minimal approval rate.

Club Sport Organizations have access to several Department of Harvard Athletics and Recreation indoor and outdoor facilities including:

• The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC)
• The Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center (QRAC)
• Hemenway Gymnasium
• Bright-Landry Hockey Arena
• Jordan Field
• Cumnock Fields
• Mignone Rugby Field
• Harvard Stadium
• Berylson Field Hockey Field