athletics Benchmarking

What We Offer

Gray’s Athletics Benchmarking provides an internal view of individual athletic program financials, as well as external comparisons to overall expenses, staff headcount, and participation.

The system provides the contribution margin for each team, as well as insight into what programs players choose to enroll in and what their academic outcomes are.

The external benchmarking data will help you evaluate the spending on each team and will help determine what the size and costs are for new athletic programs.

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Athletics Benchmarking Benefits

Identify Trends

Identify athletic program growth trends and student demand for sports.

Multiple Metrics

Compare metrics on participants, coaches, and expenses with other institutions across dozens of sports.

Planning and Budgeting

Plan and budget for current and new athletic programs and explore the fiscal impacts of Division & Conference changes.

Our Proven, Customizable Process

Coaches, athletic directors, and presidents can create custom data views to benchmark the competition.

Blog Posts

Our Thought Leaders Speak: Athletic Programs

Notre Dame Football Is Independent. Should It Be?

Should the University of Notre Dame football join a conference? As the landscape of college football continues to shift, many conferences are vying to add the Fighting Irish to their ranks. However, what would be the economic impact of such a move? We took a closer look at the data behind this decision and explored the possible outcomes. From ticket sales to academic programs, learn why athletics are so important to universities and delve into the criteria that Notre Dame would need to consider before joining a conference.

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2023 March Madness: Who Will Be This Year’s Cinderella?

Experience the thrill of March Madness and discover how Cinderella teams can boost a school’s brand awareness. Follow the success stories of St. Peter’s University and Loyola University Chicago, two schools that leveraged their teams’ tournament appearances to increase their image and attract top students. Join the conversation with expert commentary on which underdogs might surprise us this year. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how March Madness affects higher education and the exciting possibilities it holds for lesser-known teams!

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Benchmarking Hockey East Association Women’s Ice Hockey

Discover how benchmarking can help your school’s athletic department make strategic resource decisions. Learn about the importance of using both internal and external data to evaluate sports teams and conferences. Using women’s ice hockey in the Hockey East Association as an example, explore how benchmarking can be applied to assess the cost per participant, cost per sport, and more. Find out how this can help schools decide on conference changes or new sports programs and attract students who major in specific programs.

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How Colleges and Universities Can Prepare Student Athletes for Careers

Guiding student-athletes to career success after college sports can not only benefit a college or university’s sports stars but also its enrollment. A recent NCAA GOALS Study revealed that preparation for a career after college was the top item student-athletes wished their coaches and athletic administrators talked more about.

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Benchmarking Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey

Are you looking for a way to gain a competitive edge for your college’s athletic department? External benchmarking data can provide valuable insights into the expenses and participation of teams at peer institutions. Use benchmarking data to make informed decisions about your sports teams and conferences, see how your school stacks up against others, and learn how these choices can impact enrollment and academic programs at your institution.

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Is the Secret to Growing College Enrollment a New Flag Football Team?

Adding a new sport could help institution’s boost enrollment in specific programs. The academic programs that benefit from athletic enrollment vary by sport, so the right sport may be able to increase enrollment in a specific program or discipline.

We took a deeper look, first at major sports in Division 1, then at “Other Sports.”

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With Athletics Benchmarking You Can Determine:

Want to learn more? We would be happy to answer all of your questions. Contact us!