Just for kicks
By
The United States men’s soccer team has borrowed a motto from the American Revolution: Don’t tread on me. Although the slogan has become popular among American soccer players, the message has not gotten across to organizers of athletic leagues on campuses in the Twin Cities. After years of frustration, one University of St. Thomas student has formed a soccer league open to college-aged students from any school in the area.
The Twin Cities Collegiate Champions League will begin its inaugural season in April. The league was the brainchild of Adam Voight, a senior at St. Thomas. Voight was tired of having his campus-based intramural games moved to new fields or at different times or canceled to accommodate varsity athletics. Figuring the ‘Don’t tread on me’ motto may not have enough hold on his campus alone, Voight decided to make the league open to anyone of college age in the Twin Cities.
“It’s always fun to meet new people,” Voight said. “It’s something different is the real big thing.” Voight is counting on former teammates and friends from playing high school soccer in the fall and on countless summer teams to comprise a substantial portion of the league outside of St. Thomas.
“Right now we’re doing okay,” Voight said, “but we could be doing a lot better.” Voight says that the trouble with forming a league that isn’t exclusive to his campus is relying on others to be as enthusiastic as he has been. Two teams from outside St. Thomas are committed to the league, which leaves Voight to focus on his home campus to recruit at least one more team. One of the big fears in getting the word out is trying to advertise an organization that isn’t campus sanctioned when there are campus sanctioned organizations out there in direct competition.
Voight has been in contact with the City of St. Paul and has received approval for the league. Depending on the number of teams, Voight predicts each will play 10 games this season. Although the league will not be free like its campus-based counterparts, the Twin Cities Collegiate Champions League will only cost students around $15 for a season of guaranteed games.
“It’s going to be a better time, it’s going to be easier, it’s going to be more fun than doing the regular intramural leagues around campuses in the Twin Cities,” Voight said. “It’s just all around a better program.”