The Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees discussed the viability of continuing to conduct their championships at a common site during their annual meetings February 13-16 in Indianapolis.

The Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships have been held at a common site since 2002, most recently for a two-year stint at Midwestern State University. Citing decreasing attendance at the finals, though, the women’s committee, while appreciating the efforts of previous hosts, believes returning the finals to the campus of one of the four participating teams is in the best interests of the women’s game.

The first opportunity for the women’s championship to return to a campus format for the finals is 2008. The men’s and women’s championships will be at the University of West Florida for the next two years, next year as part of the first fall Division II National Championships Festival.

The men’s soccer committee wants to continue holding its championship at a predetermined site. Men’s committee Chair Murray Hartzler said his group likes the advance planning and community build-up inherent in a predetermined site.

Women’s committee Chair Chalese Connors said her committee based its decision primarily on feedback from coaches and student-athletes who cited recent preliminary-round games on campus sites where large crowds enhanced the competitive experience.

“All credit to Midwestern State and Virginia Beach (site of the 2002 and 2003 combined championships), but it hurts when the home team isn’t in the finals,” said Connors, the athletics director at Texas Woman’s University. “We just want the crowds back. Even if the host doesn’t advance from the semis, the institution still would have the integrity to want to showcase its program and facility and put on a great final game to the best of its ability and have that hometown support of local businesses and community representatives.”

Crowds for the women’s final match the last four years were 397 in 2002 and 257 in 2003 at Virginia Beach, and 384 in 2004 and 504 in 2005 at Midwestern State. In contrast, crowds for last year’s quarterfinal games at Seattle Pacific University and Franklin Pierce College approached 1,000.

Connors said the committee discussed the likelihood of a campus-based approach resulting in a home-team advantage in the finals, but members said the potential benefits outweighed that concern. She said the home field is a motivational factor, both for the teams that want the advantages that come with it, and even for visiting teams striving for the ultimate upset.

“There are different views,” she said. “It’s nice to have the experience of traveling to a championship, but a lot of times we’ve heard from the traveling student-athletes, coaches and parents that while the host did a nice job, the venue didn’t have the excitement a big crowd provides. In other words, we had a wonderful party — we’ve dressed it up — and very few people have come.

“If we return to campuses, the same people who are in the stands now are going to continue to be — parents and family members. Let’s put it back on campus where you’re going to have administrators, community members and other student-athletes join them.”

Connors did not rule out returning to the combined format in the future, once the event was able to attract a national fan base. To do that, she said, the championship needed to focus on its regional roots to build momentum.

“If we can go back to campuses, recoup the crowds and build this national championship as a product that becomes something that attracts the general soccer fans in addition to the community fans, then maybe there’s a city out there that might be interested as a more long-term site for soccer.”

Hartzler, the men’s soccer coach at Francis Marion College, said the men’s committee was disappointed that the women wanted to separate, but that his group understood their desire to act in the best interests of their sport.

“Our committee at this point just wasn’t ready to go away from the predetermined-site model. We enjoyed having the women’s championship with us, but we support them doing what they think is right for their sport,” he said.

Consistency in officiating

Another issue the women’s committee discussed that affects both genders is officiating. Women’s committee members and other women’s soccer coaches and administrators have noticed a significant difference in the way women’s games and men’s games are called.

Connors said there are noticeable discrepancies in the enforcement of sideline and on-field behaviors and language between the two genders, as well as a difference in the way referees restrict an attacking style of play in the women’s game while allowing it for men. She said the committee has contacted the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) about its concern.

“The rules are the rules of soccer, not the rules of women’s soccer and the rules of men’s soccer,” Connors said. “Even though the games may be played differently and at a different level of intensity, they need to be called the same.”

Connors said her committee found the abusive language that is not penalized in many men’s games particularly troubling. Committee members are further miffed that some of the discrepancies are from the same officials. “Both the men’s and women’s committees draw from the same pool of officials for their championships,” she said, “so why are the officials who call a first-round women’s game so tightly turn around and allow stuff at a men’s quarterfinal? We’re not happy with that. Foul and abusive language is not allowed in any sport.”

Connors said the committee also notified NISOA about clarifying duties for the alternate official at championship sites. Those duties are to include monitoring the timekeeper and scorekeeper, managing substitutions and treatment of injuries, recording cautions and ejections, and assisting with controlling bench decorum.

Other highlights

Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees

February 13-16/Indianapolis

Men’s

• Recommended that all host institutions provide a minimum of three uniformed security officers at championships venues, one to provide security for game officials, one to be present at the visiting bench area and the other(s) to be with spectators. Also, the committee recommended that benches be placed opposite from spectators; however, if the facility cannot accommodate that format, space must be reserved for visiting spectators to be seated behind the visiting team’s bench.
• Recommended that the entire six-person officiating crew be used for the semifinals and final. The two alternate officials would assist with bench decorum, leaving the official at the scorer’s table free to oversee substitutions.
• Voted that beginning in 2007, teams must play at least one in-region, nonconference game to be considered for selection to the championship.

Women’s

• Voted to begin requiring a financial guarantee of $1,000 for first- and second-round games and quarterfinals beginning in 2006. Also, the committee voted to begin requiring a financial guarantee of $2,000 for the semifinals and final beginning in 2008. Committee members believe the financial guarantees will help generate bids from schools that not only are committed to providing a positive experience for student-athletes, but also to controlling expenses.
• Voted to add results against teams already selected to the championship as a primary selection criterion beginning in 2007.
•  Recommended that Peter Campbell, associate athletics director at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, be named as chair of the committee to replace Chalese Connors, athletics director at Texas Woman’s University, effective September 1.
• Recommended the following date formula to accommodate the expanded 48-team bracket in 2007:

• First rounds (8) — The second weekend before Thanksgiving (Thursday/Friday)
• Second rounds (8) — The second weekend before Thanksgiving (Saturday/Sunday) and played at the same sites as first-round games
• Third rounds (4) — The weekend before Thanksgiving (Thursday/Friday)
• Quarterfinals — The weekend before Thanksgiving (Saturday/Sunday) and played at the same sites as third-round games
• Finals — The weekend after Thanksgiving (Friday/Sunday)

Soccer committees say eight is enough for skill instruction

The Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees also discussed what to do about skill-instruction limits at their annual meeting. The issue arose after a proposal to deregulate the number of student-athletes who can participate in skill-instructions sessions was defeated at the Convention in January. The Division II Management Council subsequently asked sport committees to recommend alternatives.

The soccer committees proposed allowing eight student-athletes to participate, rather than the current total of four. Committee members acknowledged that while four might suffice for basketball, skill sessions are compromised with that number for soccer. In addition, the time demands the current rules place on coaches and student-athletes are increased given the roster sizes.

Committee members reasoned that eight, or essentially one-third of the roster size allowed at championships, makes the sessions worthwhile and more efficiently administered, since the demands on the facilities and student-athletes’ schedules would be reduced.

Traditionally, the concerns with skill-instruction sessions are that eliminating the limit on participants turns the supposedly voluntary sessions into another full practice opportunity in the off-season. But men’s soccer committee Chair Murray Hartzler said the eight-player total keeps the sessions focused on skills and not tactics.

“You almost have to be at 10 players to focus on tactics,” he said. “The eight limit doesn’t allow teams to focus on the tactical elements, which could in turn be interpreted as just another practice. You really can’t do much tactical work until you have six on six or six on four.”

The committees will report their recommendation to the Division II Management Council this summer.