After learning that women’s soccer, one of the fastest growing team sports in the U.S., will be added to Pittsburg State University Athletics for the 2024-25 season, a Kansas City area recruiter is among those most excited.
Soccer is the number one youth sport in Kansas City — home to numerous state title winners in girl’s high school soccer and national level club teams.
And there, Dana Blubaugh, a recruiter with Pitt State’s Office of Admission, has lost great students to other universities with women’s soccer teams.
“To say I’m excited is an understatement,” she said. “It seems like every little girl in this area starts playing soccer around age 4 or 5, and with the success of the KC Current women’s team, the sport is only growing. I’m thrilled Pitt State is now in the mix!”
Milestone moment
The announcement — a milestone moment at Pitt State — was made Wednesday in a press conference held in the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.
“This is the first women’s sport we’ve added since 1986, and that’s a big deal,” said Jim Johnson, director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Johnson estimates the addition of the sport will bring 25 to 30 competitive student-athletes to Pitt State who would not otherwise enroll here. It likely also will bring many more students to Pitt State who won’t compete, but for whom soccer is part of their lifestyle.
“For many areas of our country, for many populations, and in many other countries, soccer is the primary sport,” said President Dan Shipp, whose three sons are active in the sport as part of club teams that play across the Midwest.
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we relevant? Are we focused on the needs of today’s population?’ We want to be more inclusive,” Shipp added. “The absence of soccer sends a signal to the market, and having its presence here also sends a signal.”
In addition to being the number one youth sport in Kansas City, it’s also at the top of the list in Omaha, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. The popularity extends beyond the field to the stadiums, where fans crowd in with tremendous support.
“Athletics provides a heartbeat of spirit and tradition for a campus and a community,” Shipp said. “This adds more beats to our heart.”
Economic impact
The addition will have a positive economic impact to the region, but at very little cost to the university.
“We have a good business plan to make this affordable, with private funds and many great local partners helping us with this,” Shipp said.
