Participation in club sports at a collegiate level is becoming much more popular than National Collegiate Athletic Association sports. There is less pressure, more freedom, and less of a commitment in club sports than N.C.A.A.
This increasing interest in lower level sports participation has been occurring for some time now as we can see in University of Colorado’s club soccer teams.
The University of Colorado has added a third soccer team this year for both men and women. This decision was made because there was growing interest in club soccer at the university.
In the past, there have only been two teams for men and women. The gold team was the higher level team and the black team followed closely behind. The two teams played each other multiple times a season and always put on a good fight. The game results in the past have been close.
This year, CU soccer club has added a third team. The silver team has added 22 new spots for incoming and returning players to fill. The women’s black team head coach Allison Marshall loves the opportunity that a third team creates.
“I think adding a third team is wonderful for our club program at CU”, Marshall says. “We are creating more opportunities for students to play in a competitive environment.”
With the ability and space to provide another team, the university opened new doors for more student athletes. Junior Lucy Uguccioni has been apart of the club for three years now and believes having a third team added is also very beneficial.
“It goes to show how strong our club is,” Uguccioni said. “It allows us to build stronger teams and allows more athletes to join the club.”
Many student athletes that compete at a Division 1 level have an immense amount of pressure on their performance and a massive commitment to the sport. Playing at a club level allows for much more flexibility and less stress.
Student athletes are choosing to play at a club level more and more every year. There are no scholarships that you have to fear losing. There is less time commitment. There is the chance to play with your friends and play for the love of the sport, not because it has become something you have to do.
Sophomore Domi Giron would agree. “Division 1 makes it seem like more of a job than the childhood sport we all grew to love.”
Giron has been on the black team for two years in a row and loves the experiences she’s had. She has met her best friends through club soccer and gets to play the sport she loves often.
Uguccioni has been on the black team for three years now and also considers her teammates her best friends. “There’s no bond like it. We are family.”
Although possible, it can be harder to find these inseparable connections at higher levels of play. There is more at stake and the main focus of a Division 1 team is not to make friends, it is to win.
Club level sports chase the desire to win in a different way. First, relationships are built with your teammates and then there is a common goal that everyone shares. Success simply builds from there.
It may be easier to find people you are similar to when you play club sports as well. No one was recruited; everyone is playing by choice. An article from the Huffington post states, “Baseball at the college level is somewhat robotic. Everyone hits the same, throws the same, even runs the same. Zero personality.”
According to a study from the Recreational Sports Journal, participating in a recreational sport helps students develop friendships, feel apart of the larger community, and feel better about themselves. It also helps them receive positive feedback from others.
Sophomore Mitch McCannon plays for CU’s men’s club lacrosse team and loves it. “I have an instant group of friends and brothers,” McCannon said. “It also forces me to do well in school in order to be eligible.”
McCannon said that the club offers study hours each week to help players stay on top of their schoolwork.
There are assumptions that club sports are somewhat of a joke because players are not competing at a higher level. At the University of Colorado, this could not be farther from the truth.
For club soccer, there is a week of intense tryouts that take place every year. Returning players do not have a secure spot and every position is up for grabs. The tryouts are exhausting and are players are being evaluated on their every move. There are cuts made every night during the tryout process.
Both men’s and women’s teams play in the National tournament every year. Nationals is an exclusive tournament where only the best teams in the nation are welcomed.
University of Colorado has multiple national championships in club soccer. The women have won four national championships and the men have won two. The competitive levels in club sports are very high.
Club sports are very beneficial to players, but there is a financial burden that falls directly on the players. Club sport’s imperfection is that players have to pay their own way. This can be challenging for many student athletes.
Uguccioni states, “Having to pay fees and pay for everything is sometimes finically difficult.” There are many fundraising opportunities to help pay for these fees. At the Division 1 level, this is not an issue. The school pays everything for whereas the players pay for club sports.
However, that does not seem to stop players from joining club sports. According to a New York Times article, “an estimated two million college students play competitive club sports compared with about 430,000 involved in athletics governed by National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.”
Club sports participation has so much to offer to college students. It gives them a chance to play the sport they are passionate about and works with their schedule. The rise of club sports participation across the nation is evident. Club sports will continue to be a great alternative to N.C.A.A. sports participation.
