GCSU to weigh new sports teams

GCSU’s Department of Athletics is keeping their minds open to the possibility of adding an additional sports team in the future.

In 2004, women’s soccer was added to GCSU’s athletic program in compliance to the Title IX rule.

This rule states that every institution must have the same opportunities for both men and women to reflect enrollment.

Al Weston, GCSU’s sports information director, says this past summer the department brought in an independent group to conduct a feasibility study.

“We had that feasibility study over the summer just to see how our gender equity was in the athletic department,” Weston said. “That’s a large concern for the NCAA that you’re gender compliant that way because that’s a very hot button issue for the NCAA. So you want to make sure that you’re meeting the needs that way.”

The NCAA requires that any Division II school must offer 10 sports for its students to compete in, and GCSU currently meets that requirement.

The Department of Athletics has discussed possible sports that they may add in the future.

These potential sports are volleyball, women’s golf, swimming, track and field, and lacrosse.

There are benefits and negatives to each program, but the department will carefully discuss each possible over the next few years.

If the department decides to add an additional sport down the road, it would need to be another women’s sport in order to maintain gender equity within athletics.

Wendell Staton, GCSU’s athletic director, says there are several criteria that will need to be explored before an additional sport is added.

“One of the first things we look at is what does the conference offer that we don’t currently offer and we know that when we do add a sport that we would focus on the women’s area first,” Staton said. “So that would tend us at least right now today saying women’s golf and volleyball would probably be the most logical ones to look at.”

In order for a sport to be added the department will need to research and answer many questions.

Some of these things are: is there a need for the sport on campus, what costs will the sport carry along with it, who would coach the sport and, how many players would need to be recruited, how would the sport be funded.

The sport will ultimately be funded, like many programs here at GCSU, by student fees.

The process of adding an additional women’s sport will be lengthy.

If the Department of Athletics does decide to add the sport down the road, they will need the support of students and the university.

“Anytime you add a sport there’s a pattern that you go through, it just takes you a while. As a general rule of thumb I always go back to its an institutional decision not just an athletics decision and so athletics would most likely be the one to kind of drive that forward,” Staton said. “We would be very appreciative of the students supporting that when that day comes.”

Posted by Lauren Davidson on Nov 5 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.