After months of uncertainty and fluctuating regulations, the University released new guidelines for club athletes in a meeting held March 24.
Club athletes are now permitted to wear the script A again as long as it is accompanied with an official UA Recreation Center patch to distinguish athletes as club team members. Additionally, club teams may only use the script A in the colors crimson, white, silver or black and the use of elephants, houndstooth, “Crimson Tide” or “Roll Tide” on uniforms is not permitted.
Uniforms became a topic of contention earlier last semester when teams were first told they weren’t allowed to display the University’s trademark script A on their uniforms.
“Since the number of club sports and the number of students who are participating in them have steadily increased during the past few years, UA is creating a special and unique logo that only club sports can use so that we can recognize and honor the importance, value and benefits of club sports at and to UA, as well as the commitment and talent of the students who compete in club sports,” said Deborah Lane, associate vice president for University Relations, in a statement in September.
After the policy was introduced, UA club teams worked to garner support from community members, students, sponsors and alumni by holding meetings, using social media and sending letters to the UA administration in hopes to reverse the script A restriction.
Support has fed in from a variety of outside sources as well. The controversy created buzz on Twitter when ESPN personality Jay Bilas tweeted in October, “What, club sport athletes can’t wear the ‘Bama logo? Come on, man!”
Mary Gentry, a member of The University of Alabama Club Volleyball Team, said the new moderated restrictions seem extraneous.
“I didn’t join a sports team to be told that I can’t be proud of my team and who we represent,” said Gentry, a junior majoring in exercise science.
Some students are still disappointed by the new regulations.
“It’s better than what we had but it’s still very limiting,” said Kyle Nelson, a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering.
