2 semester college season - yay or nay?

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I can see the benefit by spreading out games which might incur fewer injuries and better fitness. However, for those who attend college for the academics......which is about 99%....that might affect class selections and options as well as the opportunity to study abroad.

I am also curious as to the increased cost of a two semester season. Soccer doesn’t bring in a lot of revenue for schools. What will the costs be for two semesters?

It's hard to do a semester abroad with D1 as it is. This would make it impossible. Internships too. Also, a lot of athletes push harder classes into the spring when they're not quite as busy. Depending on your conference and how much travel is involved some games are matched together to lessen the travel burden. That benefit would go away. I don't know about costs but I'm sure they're there - it wouldn't be double but yes there would be more.

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It's not special treatment. It makes sense to move it over 2 semesters. 1 game a week on the weekend over 18 weeks,10 in the fall, 8 in the spring instead of the ridiculous current 2 to 3 games a week over 10 weeks.

Have many of you have read the proposal? Do you all realize that there is already a spring season for college soccer that has been in place for a long time? The difference is that the spring games don't count. They are exhibitions/scrimmages on 6 weekends. They practice 5 days a week and play on the weekend during the spring during almost the entire semester currently.

Do you realize how long a college football season is? They start pre-season camp 1st week of August. They just finished the bowl games. The college football final is Jan. 13.

AND college football has spring practices.

Do you know how long a college baseball season is? Games start in January. College World Series is the month of June. AND college baseball has a fall season of practices and scrimmages as well.

Do you know how long a college basketball season is? It is played over 2 semesters. College hockey? 2 semesters.

Baseball's fall season is equivalent to soccer spring. Many go to jr college though so they can enter draft.
So it is a different animal as far as college sports and mandatory completion of school once you enter.

Basketball kicks in only end of nov to march. Summer leagues too. College hockey is like gymnastics or sailing, not every school has it. In fact most don't.

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Baseball's fall season is equivalent to soccer spring. Many go to jr college though so they can enter draft.
So it is a different animal as far as college sports and mandatory completion of school once you enter.

Basketball kicks in only end of nov to march. Summer leagues too. College hockey is like gymnastics or sailing, not every school has it. In fact most don't.

Some sports like baseball, hockey and basketball also have more games crammed into tight time periods. If one sport is going to make an argument for needing more rest periods then they all can pretty much do that.

[Unregistered]

It's a big grind as it is, but spring is the only time to take some of the more challenging classes or ones with labs. So then the student athlete now has to take summer classes as well?

Besides, it will never happen. It means more expenses for the athletic department at a time when some schools are questioning the role of athletics and whether or not to keep certain teams. More importantly, if they give it to soccer they have to give it to all the other sports who want it. That would crush budgets for many schools. If the NLF and NBA can use college sports as their farm teams with no issues, why should soccer get special treatment?

Heard most D1 programs’ players have to take summer school as it is so that they can take very few classes during fall season. So much for enjoying any balance in life.

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Heard most D1 programs’ players have to take summer school as it is so that they can take very few classes during fall season. So much for enjoying any balance in life.

Many D1 athletes do that. Forget study abroad or an internship.

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Liberal arts and crap soccer.

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Heard most D1 programs’ players have to take summer school as it is so that they can take very few classes during fall season. So much for enjoying any balance in life.

They have to take a 12 credits a semester. One less than the average load of 15. Having AP credits helps with not having to do summer school.

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They have to take a 12 credits a semester. One less than the average load of 15. Having AP credits helps with not having to do summer school.

But often athletes push the tougher classes into the other semester when team and travel demands aren't as intense, same with classes that are lab heavy. Plenty of student athletes aren't AP heavy kids either.

I just don't see schools going for this for a non revenue sport.

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US Soccer is running a test project (last few years) in which programs play a small spring season in DI. This is not the typical scrimmage season, but slightly more competitive. There are 13 teams in last year, with more this year. Standings are kept in two divisions and the top teams have a finals tournament.

DI level players will need to consider this before committing as it is expanding.

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Is this only for men’s D1 programs?

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Is this only for men’s D1 programs?

Yet another complication. Give it the men you have to give it to the women if they want it.

[Unregistered]

This is an absolutely stupid proposal that once again smacks of America's inability to stand on its own when it comes to soccer. We drink from the cup of European and Latin America traditions, mindlessly thinking that if we copy the way that they do things, we will inevitably succeed. We have already held hostage high school programs by instituting DA, and, while it has spurred some growth in the game, its benefits still seem to fall short of the inconveniences it poses on so many genuine high school athletes.
Now, the idea is to have a two semester season that, hmmm?, follows the identical calendar of the European clubs, thinking that more of the same will somehow create some form of magic. How many welts do we need to place upon our heads before we recognize that our collegiate athletic experience is fundamentally different from the club experience created in places like Europe?
Is it possible that perhaps we are simply expecting too much? For very good reasons, we place a premium on a college education. And, for others, they place a premium on advancement and excellence in soccer (no problem here). But why must we demand that the two things be merged together? If your son or daughter wants to pursue soccer at the highest level, and the college game as it stands doesn't seem to foster that, then there are non-collegiate options. You just need to be willing to take the gamble (which means it may not work out). Simply put, there is no reason that we need to rewrite the book on college athletics.

Ummm, Basketball is two semesters.

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Ummm, Basketball is two semesters.

Basketball makes money

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Basketball makes money

And college basketball is slightly different than professional - length of game, not 4 quarters, even on the size of the key, and you don't hear college coaches clamoring to be more like the pros... college coaches must understand that college is not the triple A affiliate for the pros.

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Ummm, Basketball is two semesters.

Not quite, but it goes across two semesters (mid November to March) which makes is real challenge with school. A lot of basketball players do summer school.