Last April, a two-day vote was held on a fee increase for intercollegiate athletics that had the potential to bring football back to UTA. More than a year later, the fee has shown no public progress.
Former UTA football players camped outside the University Center for two days to interact with students and educate them about the positive impact the football team has on campus. Their campaign was successful. The vote passed 1,004 to 625, increasing tuition to a maximum of $250 per semester.
Currently, student athletic fees are $8.50 per credit hour, up to a maximum of $115 per semester. Resolution 22-21 “Football Once” is non-binding and authorizes an increase to $18.50 per credit hour, or up to $250 per semester, to fund the expansion of football teams and women’s sports. students were asked to do so. Teams must comply with Title IX regulations.
John Hillas, assistant director of student governance, said in an email that a binding referendum requires prior presidential approval before it can be voted on, while a non-binding referendum is more like a recommendation by the student body. Ta.
For example, the new UC referendum passed earlier this month was binding. The referendum took a similar approach to the football vote, passing through the student government chamber, appearing on a two-day ballot, and passing with a similar number of “yes” votes.
The administration plans to bring the UC project to the Board of Regents for approval in May, a process that is necessary before the rate increase becomes official.
“The results of the spring 2023 referendum were to ask the student body’s opinion on tuition increases in the event football resumes, but the university did not commit in advance to implementing the results. “It's a referendum,'' Hillas said in an email.
University spokesperson Joe Carpenter responded to a request for comment from the university. shorthornreiterated the university's statement from February.
“The university highly values and takes into consideration student opinions on this matter,” the statement reads. “This year, UTA has flattened both undergraduate tuition and student fees as part of the state’s affordability plan. The university remains focused on the excellence and competitiveness of its existing teams.”
Student body president Daniella Pedraja was a member of the student council when the soccer referendum took place. She said she believes the university is open to talks about bringing back the football team, but also recognizes the challenges it could pose.
“I think it's definitely a challenge. Both students and university leaders recognize that bringing football to campus is not an easy task,” Pedraja said. “But we know they definitely accept it and are happy about it. We just have to figure out the details of how that happens.”
shorthorn We researched previous feasibility studies done for UTA and interviewed officials from different universities about their football journeys.
How much does it cost to have a soccer team?
This is a question often asked by supporters and opponents of UTA's football team. To answer this question, multiple feasibility studies have been ordered by university authorities over the years.
Adding a football team would also require the university to add women's sports to comply with Title IX obligations. Here are the 2015 findings for UTA: shorthorn Adding a football team, women's sports and improving the stadium were found to cost more than $133 million over 10 years.
Here are the 2020 findings for UTA: shorthorn Football operating costs are thought to be between $3.1 million and $4.7 million annually.
A 2020 study revealed that the estimated annual costs do not include the construction of a new football stadium. The study estimates the stadium would cost about $11 million to build.
How other schools built their football teams
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, like UTA, currently does not have a football team. However, students voted in a 2021 binding referendum election to increase student fees by $11.25 per credit hour to attract a football team to campus.
When UTRGV voted to approve the football team, a 2017 feasibility study indicated it would cost the team between $3.1 million and $4.7 million annually.
The school plans to have a team by the 2025 season. Jonah Goldberg, UTRGV's senior associate athletic director for communications and championships, said the entry fee alone wasn't enough to fund the team, but it was enough to get the department started.
Goldberg said the university then received private support to complete financing for the football team. He began working with UTRGV in 2011, long before football dues were voted on, and said the university needs buy-in from everyone from the president to the athletics department.
“The president, the vice president all had to be rowing in the same direction,” Goldberg said. “I think we’re lucky here at UTRGV that everyone is rowing in the same direction.”
The university also needed support from the local community. UTRGV did not build a new stadium for its soccer team. Instead, they announced they would buy a local stadium, HEB Park in Edinburg, which was the home of the United Soccer League's Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. The team ceased operations in 2023.
Additionally, the fee applies only to new students at UTRGV, Goldberg said. Students who voted in favor of the tuition increase did not have their tuition increased.
Goldberg said he estimates the cost of running the football team will be about $6 million a year, but that doesn't include the cost of starting the program. This figure includes an estimated $30,000 in scholarships for 63 soccer players (FCS cap), salaries for 11 soccer coaches, support staff, and travel expenses.
Former soccer players also participated
For UTA alumnus Jerry Mecca, the effort to bring sports back to campus has become a lifelong passion.
The university held an alumni reunion for the players in February, providing an opportunity for them to interact. It also gave former athletes an opportunity to confront the athletics department and express their grievances. According to Mecca, a players-only meeting before the reunion officially began was controversial as players spoke their minds.
Some players Mecca spoke to said they would not set foot on campus until the university reinstated football.
Mecca said reunions like the one in February help the university build stronger relationships with former players and mend relationships with some alumni. He feels there is momentum to bring the team back this time and has had productive conversations with people in the athletics department.
“It's unfair to say we're not making progress,” Mecca said. “It's just moving slowly.”
@isaacappelt
sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
