By John Daly
Currently there are far reaching and damaging proposals being considered by the NCAA as a result of the Presidential Working Group recommendations. These recommendations also affect other “Olympic Sports” such as Field Hockey, Lacrosse and Volleyball.
Where women’s soccer is concerned the following recommendations are alarming:
- Elimination of the competitive element of the spring (non-traditional) season. Currently Division One schools are permitted five playing dates in the spring.
- Reduction of the traditional season number of games by 10%, i.e. 18 games instead of 20.
- Elimination of international tours.
All three recommendations are baseless in reason. W & M for instance spends very little on its spring season. We usually will travel to Richmond, Charlottesville or Norfolk, using vans and will have meals provided by our parents. The importance of the spring is reflected in the fact that, for instance, Dani Rutter played very little for us as a freshman. In the spring she performed extremely well, earned a starting spot for the fall and was our second leading goal scorer this fall!
Most programs carry between 24 and 30 players of necessity. With the season so short, injuries occur and depth is required to remain competitive. It must also be said, although I do not agree with this policy, that a number of coaches believe in using a high number of substitutes during the season. Eliminating the spring season would be extremely detrimental to both the men’s and women’s game.
The reduction of 10% in the traditional season, although not as contentious as the spring elimination, also defies logic, when you consider the number of games basketball and baseball, for instance, play, and therefore the number of missed classes. What the NCAA fails to recognize is that soccer players are dedicated individuals who love to play the sport of soccer. It seems the NCAA views Collegiate Athletics as exploiting student athletes. There are those who are of the opinion that that may be the case in the big money sports. However, if you talk to the majority of soccer players, they love to play the sport and they realize that they only have four years at a high level. Beyond college soccer there are very few who will actually play professionally, or even play at a high competitive non-professional level once they graduate from college. This means that many of them have around 80 games and then their career is over. Even cutting that by 10% would meet with disapproval from the majority of players.
International tours have been an important part of William and Mary men’s and women’s soccer programs for more than two decades. The women, for instance, have visited Australia and New Zealand twice, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales three times, and Italy once. The men have visited England, Bermuda, Jamaica and Greece. These trips have provided wonderful memories for our student athletes. They experienced different cultures, visited some of the most popular “Bucket List’ destinations in the world, and here is the kicker…….William and Mary did not pay for these trips. The players, their families, and their efforts at fundraising made these trips possible. This is actually the case with the majority of institutions which undertake international trips. Again, the bad publicity surrounding some institutions has trickled down, affecting everyone one, and unfairly so.
Finally, Rob Kehoe of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (of which I am a member and the women’s college representative on the Board of Directors) recently put together a survey which was sent to male and female soccer players at the D1 level asking their opinions on the above recommendations. Over 10,500 responded, of which 95-97% were opposed to all three recommendations!
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