Soccer — or football, depending on where you’re from — is the most popular sport in the world. Although it may not seem that way in America, soccer is beloved in nearly every other part of the globe.

At the University of Iowa, there is a Division I women’s soccer program but no men’s team. The highest level of men’s soccer here is at the club level.

In the past ten years, the UI women’s soccer team has consistently ranked in the top 25 in the country. They have won big games and seen strong support from Hawkeye fans at every home match.

So why don’t we have a men’s team to match?

The only time you hear much buzz around soccer in the U.S. is during the World Cup. Historically, the U.S. Men’s National Team has struggled in this tournament. They repeatedly get eliminated in the early rounds, if they make the tournament at all.

In contrast, the U.S. Women’s National Team has achieved repeated success. They have won four World Cup titles, most recently in 2019, and five Olympic gold medals, most recently in 2024.

This difference in success contributes to a lack of interest in soccer among young men in the U.S. While interest may be low, it doesn’t mean there’s no interest at all.

One of the reasons there’s no Division I men’s soccer team at the UI is funding. Funding is often the culprit behind the absence or downfall of many sports programs, and men’s soccer is no exception.

The main funding for UI men’s club soccer comes from the Sport Club Allocations Board, also known as SCAB. SCAB is a committee of elected student club representatives tasked with allocating funding to individual clubs.

If the university is serious about creating a men’s soccer team, it could easily hold a fundraiser to support it. There are various opportunities the university could explore to raise money for a soccer program.

A fundraiser for a Division I men’s soccer team would likely draw a large crowd and an even larger profit.

The players on the men’s club soccer team deserve the recognition of a Division I sport. Their passion and commitment warrant the benefits of being a Division I team.

While the men’s club soccer team does travel and compete against other Big Ten universities, their home field is the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center. This might not seem like an issue, but the university has a dedicated soccer complex that hosts the women’s team, but not the men’s. The UI Soccer Complex features a natural grass field, a practice field, and the Soccer Operations Building, which includes home and away locker rooms.

The men’s club team is more than deserving of not only being elevated to an official Division I team but also of playing on the UI Soccer Complex field.

The men’s soccer club’s season takes place in the fall. If you’re ever looking for something to do, consider watching a game. The level of play, commitment, and passion you’ll see from these players will give you all the reason you need to advocate for them to become an official Division I team.