Before Summer ends and fall practices began, I thought I would raise a topic about spring practices (outside the context of the 21st Century Model proposal or anything like that). One of the major structural distinctions between D1 and D3 soccer is the amount of time you can devote to spring practices and games. I think D3 schools can now hold 15 practice days, one of which can include games (and many schools have multiple games on that day to get everyone playing time), as compared with something like 45 days and 5-6 games in D1. Both of these, of course, are a sharp difference from what many of these kids are used to in their clubs, where they often play close to year-round with shorter breaks interspersed throughout rather than going large periods of time without the sport. With field houses and futsal facilities, soccer can be year-round almost anywhere.
My understanding, however, is that NESCAC prohibits its soccer teams from playing in the Spring. Is that just games or any coach-organized practices or games? If the latter, do captain's practices fill the void for players who are available or does space and weather make it largely impossible to do much more than strength and conditioning + some late night futsal at some or most of the schools? I know there are some advantages to this policy for purposes of enabling internships and study abroad opportunities, and it certainly hasn't hurt NESCAC schools in terms of competitive success in the NCAA tourney, but I'm just trying to get the lay of the land.
Do other schools/leagues refrain from any organized spring practices?
Conversely, are some D3 schools known for having a particularly strong spring program and/or a culture and history of well-organized captain's practices when coaches cannot be there, including the facilities to support it without battling other sports? What do those practices look like in terms of frequency/length etc?
