Students attending Coastal Alabama Community College now have greater access to a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, thanks to an agreement between the College and the United States Sports Academy signed on June 25.

The collaboration is a renewal of the longstanding relationship between the two educational institutions, and one meant to give additional options to non-athletes and student-athletes alike.

“We’re already discussing that some representatives from the Sports Academy will be visiting our different campuses to meet with our student athlete groups and other interested students,” said Mary Beth Lancaster, Dean of Academic Instruction at Coastal Alabama Community College. “What’s really great is that the Sports Academy is our neighbor in Baldwin County, and this partnership provides a pathway for students who enjoy participating in sports and/or want to have a sports-related career.”

Founded in 1972, the U.S. Sports Academy has become a preeminent sports education resource and is the only accredited freestanding sports university in the country. It moved to its current headquarters in Daphne in 1983 and offers programs of instruction, research and service to more than 1,300 students annually.

Several of the U.S. Sports Academy’s leadership team met with their Coastal Alabama counterparts at the Fairhope campus on Tuesday to sign the agreement. They included USSA President Steve Condon and Coastal Alabama Community College President Aaron Milner.

According to Lancaster, Coastal Alabma’s new Sports Management Pathway is available for those currently applying for the fall semester, and as with all pathways — new and existing — the College’s advisors are ready and waiting to help prospective students decide on what best serves them and their career aspirations. Outside of athletic competition, careers related to sports span the spectrum of possible passions, and include subjects such as sports administration, facility management, event marketing, finance, talent management and legal aspects of the sports business.

“Often, students know what they want to do, but maybe they haven't gotten a clear direction on their pathway,” she said. “And I think that this partnership will be strengthened because we are able to talk with students more and help them to understand the options they have that may coincide with their interests. If they would like to stay in the area of sports, they have multiple options on the business side of sports that maybe people don't often realize.”