NIU football coach Joe Novak knows when deciding on a college, student-athletes look for different things, leading toward one main goal: receiving a good education.

However, athletes usually look for much more. They look not only for technology in the classrooms but also in the practice facilities they will be using throughout their college careers.

When recruiting athletes, colleges have 48 hours to show them around campus and give them a general idea of what the school has to offer. For conferences such as the Big Ten and the ACC, recruiting is only a competition between each other. However, other conferences that receive Division I status, are not only trying to recruit away from schools in their own conference but every conference in Division I athletics.

Novak said that he finds NIU is in trouble in recruiting away from other schools within their own conference because of its lack of friendly facilities.

“Keeping up with the Jones’ plays a big part in recruiting,” said Novak. “If other teams in our conference are getting players from Illinois to go to their schools, then we are losing out. So having up to date facilities plays a huge part in recruiting.”

NIU currently uses Chick Evans Field House to house the volleyball, basketball, wrestling and gymnastics teams.

However, in progress is the construction of an arena, which will help NIU in recruiting athletes for those sports. The new arena will have more of an appeal than the Field House.

In the MAC conference, no other school can compete with Marshall in football facilities. Year in and year out, Marshall finds itself at the top of the conference standings in football because their facilities help them recruit more athletes.

“Facilities are crucial in recruiting,” said Marshall Sports Information Director Ricky Hazel. “Facilities bring results . . . We are the measuring stick for all other MAC schools in football facilities.”

NIU has yet to challenge Marshall in the standings, and facilities could be the cause. When schools are able to offer athletes more, they usually will succeed in obtaining the student.

Novak believes that the arena will greatly help basketball recruiting as well as volleyball and other sports. He does believes that more is needed to help NIU in the recruiting process.

“I think that an indoor practice facility for all sports, as well as football, would be a great addition like other schools in our conference have,” said Novak. “That would tremendously help NIU in recruiting for every sport.”