After two years of anticipation, SCHS has welcomed girls’ flag football and JV field hockey as the newest sports on campus. With the goal to boost female participation within sports, the athletics department has worked hard to make sure newer sports have the proper funding. A handful of teams, however, have faced struggles when it comes to financial support.
Over the last six years, SCHS has added girls’ golf, field hockey and flag football. With an emphasis on Title IX, Athletic Director DeeDee Kiyota embraces the implementation of new teams.
“This is the first year we’ve had girls field hockey and JV field hockey,” Kiyota said. “I think the numbers are going to be fairly equal, maybe even more or so depending on the participation of the female side. The adding of all these female sports is definitely helping.”
While the district has provided more opportunities for female athletes, some believe the newer sports are not receiving proper funding. Varsity field hockey player junior Reeva Patel feels more popular sports such as volleyball are given priority when it comes to money.
“I believe there’s definitely a lack in the category (funding),” Patel said. “I know that last year, volleyball got two t-shirts, sweat pants, a bag, a sweatshirt, and we got absolutely nothing. Our coach had to pay out of pocket to get us gear.”
Much of the money that was used to fund flag football and other newer sports came directly from the district, which is used to buy necessities such as uniforms, safety equipment and transportation. Other items, such as team-specific gear, are acquired through fundraising via SnapRaise.
“When flag started, they said we need some of the athletic directors to look at how much is transportation going to cost, how much is uniforms going to cost, how much are all the things that you need? I basically broke it down and got a chart,” Kiyota said.
As SCHS and the district strive to provide a smooth transition into the first season of flag football, many athletes are appreciative of the opportunities new sports have provided. Senior Sky De Leon grew up playing football with her family and is excited to finally compete for her school. The lack of stress around getting proper supplies has given the flag football team the freedom to enjoy their first season.
“We like sending each other football TikToks, so we can do dances and have fun with it,” De Leon said. “It’s (the moral) pretty good. Everyone’s pretty positive and inclusive.”
Now in its fifth season, field hockey is still facing funding struggles. With its rising popularity over the last year, the program does not have money to support all athletes who tried out, leading to cuts on the JV and Varsity teams. Additionally, the lack of popularity put the sport at jeopardy.
“Kiyota was trying to cut field hockey so that flag football would have enough space on the field,” Patel said. “Football has to share the football field, so we don’t get the football field at all anymore. We used to get it two times a week because we play on the main field, but now we don’t get it because flag football needs it – football needs it and we need it.”
When playing teams that are well established, the lack of backing from the school and the district puts the field hockey team at a disadvantage.
“We’re going against varsity players who’ve been playing for longer, who have better sticks, better equipment, like turf shoes,” Patel said. “The amount of girls on our team that have fallen and skinned their knees because they don’t have turf shoes is worrisome. We’re going up against teams that are better funded.”