Española Valley High School is eliminating its boys and girls soccer program athletic director, according to Athletic Director Theresa Flores.
“As of last night’s (June 2) budget hearing, that was one thing that came up,” Flores said. “They cut $55,000 from the athletic budget.”
The approximate cost of running the soccer program was $17,000, according to Flores. In addition to eliminating the soccer programs, the school district is looking at eliminating the middle school baseball program.
“It was a hard decision,” Flores said. “We had to look at several ways to find the money to fund athletics.”
The Española boys and girls soccer programs have never had an official winning season or advanced to postseason play. The boys team finished 4-18 last season and the girls did not win a game, finishing 0-22 on the season.
The boys team’s last winning seasons, and possibly only winning seasons, came in 2002 and 2003, when Española competed as an independent and was ineligible for postseason play. The boys soccer program was cancelled in 2001 because a coach was not found in time for the season. The Sundevils had to play the next two seasons on probation once the program was reinstated. The Sundevils were 11-2 and 12-1, respectively, during those seasons.
Both programs drew heavily from the Mexican immigrant population, and the sport’s participation among local youths pales in comparison to football, baseball and especially basketball.
“We don’t have any feeder programs (for soccer),” Flores said. “Our kids are having to learn soccer from scratch in the eighth grade. That’s kind of late in the game to be competitive.”
Ifeatu Oboli was the boys soccer coach and Anthony Manges was the girls soccer coach this past season. Oboli met with Flores about two weeks ago and was told that the soccer program was being eliminated. He had been planning to return as coach.
“Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen — no money,” Oboli said. “The kids are the people that are going to suffer.”
Oboli agreed that one reason for soccer’s lack of success at Española was the lack of a youth program.
“When I got there I realized I had to start from scratch,” he said. “They get to the varsity level and don’t know the rudiments of the game.”
Oboli, who works for Casa de Corazón, hopes to start a soccer program to teach the fundamental skills to younger players.
“(In Española) they have talent,” Oboli said. “A program for younger players would be a good thing.”
In addition, Flores said Española will cut two games from both the girls and boys basketball teams schedules next season.
The cross country team will participate in seven meets this upcoming season after competing at eight meets last season, she said.
“I hope we don’t have to start cutting assistant coaching positions,” Flores said.