From beginning to end, I found this text to be extremely thorough; complete with checklists and advice from an author whose years of experience, and practical approach to organizing intramural sports, is evident.

This book is a must have for anyone who teaches an intramural or recreational sport management course. For the new director of a municipal or collegiate intramural program, the advice and examples contained within will prevent needless reinventing of the wheel. As a result of reading this book for review I have adopted the book as a text for my “Recreational Sport Management” course.

The book is well thought out, and includes an extensive bibliography to support the author. From a pedagogical perspective, each chapter begins with a solid introduction and chapter objectives. What follows is a thorough treatise addressing the objectives and concluding with summary exercises for each chapter. Each chapter contains a comprehensive reference list and most contain a resource list containing supplemental videos, lists of organizations and wed sites to gain more information.

The book starts a student off with the most basic of requirements for success, that of understanding the history of intramural sports. It next shows how a lack of a clearly defined mission can undermine the success of an intramural program. For a teacher or a professional who used the book as another resource among many, the book is well organized and easy to locate information due to the arrangement of the 15 chapters into three distinctive parts.

Part 1: chapters 1 and 2 deal with the history and benefits of intramurals and the development of a mission statement and design of an intramural program.

Part 2:chapters 3-10 discuss subjects ranging from structure and leadership, safety, and legal concerns, to budget and promotion policies. Chapter 5 is especially noteworthy, looking at the role of officiating and the effect of officials on play. Byl, explains thoroughly the influence of the intramural director on creating an official friendly environment, and then goes into great detail on the role of the official. Recruiting and managing officials is dealt with very well, with evaluation checklists that can be modified for any program.

Part 3: Looks at programming with sample activities, setting up tournaments and leagues, tournament administration. Chapter 13 in this part looks at the day of the tournament, and provides the reader with examples of various forms to be used and helping the event director through some of the common problems that arise. Chapter 14 addresses the single most important event that occurs outside the athletic competition, that of evaluation. To ensure success, one must look hard at what they do, and be willing to make changes to affect a better tournament, league or program.

Finally for the teacher looking for a project for individuals that is worthy of inclusion in a professional portfolio, students can follow the format of this book, and create a comprehensive intramurals handbook that they can apply to a new job.

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