SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Girls Playing Varsity BOYS Soccer

I don't know how much of this there is in 3A and 4A, if any at all, but it seems like in 1A and 2A there's a good number of teams that have girls on their team. I feel like it's stupid because the refs always tend to show them favor just because their girls. The way I see it is if you play in a GUYS league then you should be treated, on the field, like a guy. For instance, Palmetto high school has a couple of girls on their team and I play defense so I hammer people all night and the refs weren't calling anything because they were good, hard, clean tackles. So, one of the guys from Palmetto gets carded and they put a girl in the game to take his spot. She's coming down the wing and I knock her off the ball just like I would to anyone else and they kept calling it. Then once the guy was put back in the game it wasn't called anymore. I just wanted to get some feedback on how everyone felt about this topic.

Two questions you may wish to consider:
1) Was it necessary to "hammer" the female player in order to "knock her off the ball", or could you have been just as successful with much less aggression?
2) When a smaller school does not offer a girls program, do you believe a female deserves the opportunity to play the game without being "hammered" unnecessarily?
Keep in mind the referee's primary responsibility is the safety of the players. When a female is playing just as agressive as the males, the referee should, and usually does let them play as equals. However, when a female is not playing to their level of aggressiveness, I would think her opponents should not be more aggressive than necessary to get the job done. Doesn't this seem reasonable? If not, perhaps someday you will have a daughter in that circumstance and then you may see the light.

y would u hit a girl anyways, thats just wrong

I think that soccer has rules tht define what is fair and what is foul play. Foul play should always be penalized no matter whether you are playing against girls or boys. The refs should pay attention to the rules only. On the other hand, DCA, when you are playing against someone a lot smaller than you and you deliberately try to hurt them, even in a technically legal tackle, you are not being a good sport. If you're really good you could figure a way to play solid defense and still not hurt someone by hammering them. This applies to smaller players of both sexes. Why be a bully?

DCA, i am right with you. i was a marking back for dixie and that stuff happened to me, as well. I think you are doing the right thing. Be aggressive, that is how you are supposed to play. If they are clean tackles, there should not be a problem with tackling a female competitor. The females on the team know what they have gotten into and they can play just as mean, if not meaner than any guy i have seen play. DCA, you just keep playing the game you play and good luck to you this season.

I played last year with Pendleton Varsity boys. The ref always called fouls on me. Dont take it easy on a girl. I always wanted to be treated like a guy on the field.

i agree that the call is a judgement call left to the referee. i don't think DCA meant he intentionally bullies smaller opponents. some people just play more aggressive than others. i think that you shouldn't have to change your level of play at the drop of a hat. on the other hand, certain schools do have girls on their boys team. it really just depends on the player. if a little shoulder is needed to take the ball, its not wrong to use it, within moderation. the ability to judge that situation destinguishes a player between a dirty player or an aggressive one.

DCA-
The reason that girls are allowed to play varsity boys soccer is Title IX. One of the provisions of Title IX (otherwise known as gender equity), is that institutions receiving federal money must provide the same opportunity for girls as boys. That is not the exact language, but it's close.

That means that if a girl wants to play soccer and the school does not offer a girls soccer program, then the school LEGALLY HAS to allow her the chance to play on the boys team. If they deny the girl a chance to play, then the girl has a legal ground to sue the school for gender discrimination and the school would be in danger of losing $$.

While there is talk of reforming Title IX (something I think needs to be done), as of now that is the law. Try not to take the foul personally. I'm sure that every time you tackle a girl you do not get called for a foul, and I'm sure every team you play does not have girls on it. While I understand it's frustrating (a couple of teams we played when I was with Riverside had girls on them), try to understand that you will probably win that game 6 or 7 to 0 or 1 and you might get called for a foul or two against a girl that game and in the grand scheme of your team's season, it's not that big of a deal.

While I do think Title IX needs to be revised and rewritten, I do think that girls should be allowed to play on boys varsity teams when they attend a school that does not offer varsity girls soccer.

If there was no boys team, would a boy be allowed to play on a girls team? Just wondering...

i think that's a good question. most schools in our area have more boys sports than girls. so chances are that event wouldn't occur. But if it did, like in volleyball, couldn't a guy sue for discrimination just like girl could if she was denied the right to play because there is no girl's team? wouldn't the grounds for arguement be the same?