When it comes to men’s soccer, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a minority in the Southern Conference.

Athletic director Rick Hart said that won’t be changing any time soon.

Of the 12 institutions that make up the SoCon, eight have varsity men’s soccer teams. UTC, Western Carolina, The Citadel and new conference member Samford join the rest of the league in offering women’s programs but do not field teams for men.

“It’s not on the radar currently,” Hart said of men’s soccer at UTC. “There are a number of variables that may or may not contribute to whether it returns to the radar. At the center of all that would be our gender-equity plan.”

UTC eliminated its men’s soccer team in the mid-1980s as part of an effort to comply with Title IX, which requires gender equity in athletics. Compliance has been an ongoing effort for the university, and while Hart said he would never say never, the addition of a men’s program isn’t part of any current plan.

“I’ve been here for two years, and no one has approached me about the resurrection or addition of a men’s (soccer) program,” he said. “I’m not aware of any interest. That doesn’t mean there’s not any, but any comments I’ve heard about adding a men’s sport have been about the return of the baseball program.”

Ryan Ball, president of UTC’s men’s soccer club, said interest exists at least among the up to 60 students who try out for the club team each year. The team of around 30 plays a six- to 12-game season each year and competes in a regional tournament as well as in local leagues during the winter and spring.

The former Red Bank High School soccer player said he and others would like to see UTC offer men’s soccer, but realizes the limitations the university’s athletic department must contend with.

“Among the players there is (interest), and from people around town there is, but I haven’t heard anything from the bigwigs on campus,” Ball said. “I know the club team has talked about it for a long time.

“I know the ratio of girls’ scholarships to male scholarships is an issue, and we would need more talent for the level we would play at, and money would be an issue. I think maybe we’re getting closer, but I’m sure it would take a while.”

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