So why can’t we have a football team, huh?

By Brian Vigna | BVigna@flagler.edu

Flagler College has been around for 40 years and our once tiny sports program is now our still-tiny-but-growing sports program. This year the school has even added a softball team to comply with NCAA Div. II regulations.

As we continue to expand one question is still unanswered: Will we ever have a football team? I know, I know. We’re too small and still not ready for one.

But wouldn’t it be satisfying to go to a Flagler Stadium and see a bunch of gargantuan men pummel one another for the big win? Could you imagine the changes on campus and in the athletic department if we had our own football team? There might even be school spirit … maybe.

Another fact to consider: as other small colleges have added football they have seen significant increases in male enrollment, a key concern to Flagler officials.

Shenandoah University, a small campus of 1,500 added a football team only a decade ago and their campus life and attendance have dramatically improved.

Also Shenandoah’s male enrollment is up nearly 10 percent. A similar boost would make Flagler College a more balanced campus.

Shenandoah and other small schools like it are proof that no matter the size, football can be a positive addition.

Some people worry about the negative impact of adding a football program, but in my opinion the addition could do nothing but increase Flagler College’s visibility and make our degrees worth that much more in the real world.

I don’t know about you, but when I tell people I go to Flagler College they give me that funny look that I know means they’ve never heard of us. Outside of St. Johns County we are a relatively unknown small college whose name has not reached the rest of the country.

If getting a football team could help make my next job interview a little easier, I would not be complaining about the possibility of changing the current campus atmosphere.