Dakota State adds Women's Soccer to Fall 2005 Sports Line-Up

Dakota State University has announced plans to add women’s soccer for the Fall of 2005. This move is designed to recruit a new group of women students to the campus and bring the university into compliance under Title IX.

Dakota State officials see the implementation of soccer as a positive step to providing women student athletes another option for intercollegiate athletic participation. DSU President Doug Knowlton said adding soccer is part of an overall recruitment and retention strategy for the university. “Soccer is a hot sport for young women right now and those athletes are looking for a place to go to compete.” Dr. Knowlton said soccer will bring at least 20 new students to Dakota State. “Twenty students who might have picked another university will now come to DSU because they can continue to enjoy playing soccer on an intercollegiate level and attend a premier technology focused institution.”

Enacted in 1972, Title IX bans sex discrimination in schools, whether in academics or athletics. Title IX governs the overall equity of treatment and opportunity in athletics with the focus on the necessity for women to have equal opportunities as men on a whole, not on an individual basis. The cost of implementing soccer will be offset by the revenue generated from the additional students’ tuition and housing. The Board of Regents has also designated funds for the public universities to use for starting new sports to fulfill Title IX requirements.

“Soccer is part of our commitment to enhance women student athletes’ participation in sports at Dakota State,” said Dr. Tom Gioglio, DSU Athletic Director. “Soccer is a growing sport in this area and is one that our students have shown an interest in.” Gioglio said the university will conduct a national search for a soccer coach and begin the recruitment process as soon as the coach is selected. “As with all our sports, we are going to practice an ‘inside-out’ recruitment strategy, looking for local student athletes first and then expanding to the surrounding area.”

The Dakota State women’s soccer team will play at the Trojan Field complex. Right now several schools in the DAC 10 have existing women’s soccer teams including University of Mary and Jamestown. DSU also hopes to play non conference games with teams in the area.