NCAA conference increases per-school payouts by US$1.5 million to US$44.6 million.
Getty Images
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has announced that US$651 million of total revenue was distributed among its members for the fiscal year ending 31st August 2019, up 3.8 per cent on the US$627.1 million reported over the previous period.
The US college sports conference increased its payouts for 2018/19 to just over US$44.6 million per school. This does not including approximately US$7.8 million of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and SEC grants divided among the 14 member institutions.
The average distribution was up on the US$43.1 million for 2017/18, not including schools that participated in the NCAA football bowl games.
The total distribution amount is comprised of revenue generated from television agreements, post-season bowl games, the College Football Playoff, the SEC Football Championship, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, NCAA Championships and a supplemental surplus distribution.
According to USA Today, the SEC’s total revenue for the 2018/19 fiscal year was US$720.6 million compared to just under US$660 million last year.
Despite the increases, the SEC continues to trail the Big Ten Conference. For the 2018 fiscal year, as reported by USA Today, the Big Ten pulled in almost US$759 million in revenue, with the 12 schools receiving full shares totalling approximately US$54 million. Maryland and Rutgers, the conference’s two most recent additions, are still moving toward receiving full shares.
Though the Big Ten does not file its 2019 federal tax return until the spring, USA Today adds that it has likely distributed at least US$55 million this time around, based on the schools’ recent financial disclosures.
“The revenue distributed through the Southeastern Conference enables our 14 member universities to provide unparalleled support to their student-athletes through superior instruction, training, equipment, academic counselling, medical care, mental health and wellness support and life-skills development,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
“It is this sustained conference-wide commitment to the student-athlete experience that makes this conference sound and its impact so meaningful.”
