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High School Soccer Team Won't Play Girls
The Scottsdale, Arizona, Foothills Academy College Prep soccer team drove an hour to play Mesa's Faith Christian team Friday, only to be told the home team refused to play. Foothills' team has two female players, which appeared to be the problem - Foothills responded by saying they wouldn't play without all of their players, AZ Central reports.
When schools in the district are too small to have both a boys and girls team, the Canyon Athletic Association allows girls to try out for and play with the boys as they wish. This is the second time an opposing team took issue with midfielders (and sisters) Alyssa and Colette Hocking playing; the girls decided to sit the season opener out when Our Lady of Sorrows objected, not wanting the team to lose, but this time was different, Alyssa said.
"I was like, 'I don't want this stuff to hurt the boys,''' Alyssa told AZ Central, but Foothills coach Steven Rains said, "It was the team's decision [to not play without the Hockings]. They would not play without their team. They felt the girls earned the right to be on the team. And they won't play without them." Faith Christian did not play.
The team's coach cited religious reasons for the refusal: "I know it appears to fly in the face of what everyone is wanting to promote today, and that is equality," administrative leader of Mesa Faith Christian Dick Buckingham said. "It is based on a religious perspective that God created guys and girls differently. The difference physically, there is a strength advantage that men have over women. We want to teach our men that honor of ladies is just not in sports. We struggle how to teach that if we're allowing them to play against young ladies in a competitive game."
According to FOX News, Mesa Faith played a game against a CAA team earlier this year that had a female player, but Buckingham said he didn't know that until after the game had been played. The executive director of the organization told AZ Central the game would be ruled a forfeit for Faith Christian as it's against conference rules to refuse to play a team for having female players.
"The whole team supported us," Alyssa said. "They made us proud to be part of this team," Collette added: "We're happy we were part of the decision. They included us. It made us feel like we were part of the team."
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