A comparison of the amount of success in selected women's team sports and the amount of financial support in NAIA institutions

Scope and method of study. The purpose of the study was to compare the amount of success in the women's intercollegiate team sports of volleyball, basketball and softball and the amount of financial support provided to these programs in small NAIA institutions. A questionnaire asking for demographic, budget and success-oriented information was sent to the women's athletic directors of 227 NAIA institutions ranging from 1000 to 6600 in enrollment. A total of 162 (71.4%) surveys were returned. For purposes of statistical analysis, each case for each sport was assigned to a high, medium or low group based on its win percentage. An analysis of variance was conducted to determine if significant differences existed for total and/or selected areas of expenditure between high, medium and low success groups. Independent t-tests were done for the variables indicating significance at the.05 level.;Findings and conclusions. Significant differences were found to exist between successful and less successful women's volleyball, basketball and softball programs on some budget items in small NAIA schools. It appears that the amount of financial support helps in areas such as coaches' salaries, travel, meals, lodging and financial aid to athletes. No one budget item was found to be significantly higher for the more successful groups in all three sports.