Sports compliance plays a critical role in collegiate athletics, ensuring that programs operate within NCAA regulations while supporting both institutional integrity and student-athlete success.
In a recent webinar, Inside Sports Compliance: Careers, Challenges, and Opportunities in Athletics, we spoke with Jill McClure, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Eastern New Mexico University and a graduate of Seattle University School of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Compliance & Risk Management. Jill shared insights into her career path, the realities of working in athletics compliance, and how graduate education has supported her success in the field.
Sports compliance ensures that athletic programs operate within established rules and regulations. This includes oversight of NCAA requirements, athlete eligibility, recruiting practices, financial aid, and increasingly, NIL-related activities. Compliance professionals serve as a critical bridge between athletes, coaches, and institutional leadership, helping programs stay aligned with complex and evolving governance standards.
A Career Path into Athletics Compliance
Career paths into athletic compliance can look very different. Jill began her path with a background in political science and pre-law, worked as a paralegal, and then spent 15 years in K–12 education as a teacher. After experiencing burnout following the COVID-19 pandemic, she began exploring new career options and discovered the MLS program. “I ended up getting the courage to apply for law school, not thinking that I’d even be remotely successful in it, and got through the program. Now I am the assistant athletic director in compliance, using everything that I learned and more! It’s been an absolute life-changing moment, and I have loved every minute of it.”
Pivoting into athletic compliance can be difficult, but Jill’s was aided when she narrowed in on Seattle University’s Compliance MLS and its sports compliance concentration. Her first job was in Title IV, for a few months, and then her current position opened up. “I didn’t have any experience in college athletics and I knew it’s a hard area to try to break into, but I thought, you know what? Let’s just give it a shot! And here I am. It’s one of those leaps; you just have to put yourself out there.”
Working in Athletics Compliance
A typical day for Jill might look like taking meetings with coaches, performing research on compliance and where the university falls within the scope of the bylaws for NCAA, and “a lot of it is trying to knock down problems before they become problems,” she says. She is also involved in rewriting compliance in the coach’s manual, among many other tasks.
A university’s compliance department’s size, therefore the positions available, depends on factors like the size of the school and program. Power 4 schools might have massive compliance departments with even up to 20 employees, while smaller schools or lower divisions will naturally have smaller departments.
Key issues in athletic compliance include:
- Name, Image, and Likeness
- Athlete Eligibility
- NCAA Governance
- Recruiting
- Title IX & Equity
- Institutional Risk
Jill identifies approving visits, educating coaches, managing transfer students, submissions for medical hardship documents, and more, as routine tasks. She also works closely in accordance with Title IX, the influence of which is still strongly felt.
How The MLS Informed Jill’s Compliance Career
When Jill thinks back on the SU MLS program courses that were most impactful for her, the Policy and Procedure course stands out, as well as the Investigations and Organizations class. And, of course, being able to take the Sports Law courses offered is incredible. “They definitely dug you into the foundation of what is really going on in this industry.”
If you’re someone who loves law but doesn’t want to undergo three years at law school, “an MLS would be perfect for you,” Jill says. Skills that will help carry you through the program include flexibility and multitasking. In an athletic compliance career, skills include the willingness to have those hard conversations with student athletes and lead with empathy. That’s where the SU mission Compliance With A Conscious comes into focus and practice. All students “need to be treated equally and ethically across the board.”
If you’re ready to advance your career in compliance, risk management, or athletics administration, Seattle University School of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Compliance & Risk Management can help you build the knowledge and skills to move forward.
