SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The Foothills Academy College Prep soccer team in Scottsdale, Arizona is a small operation, but it has a big heart. The team is made up of boys and two sisters, Alyssa and Colette Hocking, KPHO reports.
The team has been working together for several years, and none of the boys have any issues playing with girls. Teammate Dallas Fox says the thought doesn’t even cross his mind.
“I don’t feel any different than playing with guys,” Dallas said.
But in just one week, two teams they were matched against took issue with playing against girls. The team would only take the field if the Alyssa and Colette sat out, which the girls did.
“We were shocked and disappointed, but we didn’t want it to affect the boys on our team so we thought they should just play,” Colette said.
In the same week, Foothills Academy was set to face another team, and again, the team didn’t want to play against the two girls. But, this time, it was different. The Foothills soccer team took a vote and said if the girls don’t play, we don’t play.
“I don’t feel like we have to give up part of our team to play some soccer,” Fox said.
Well, the team sat out the game and opted for a forfeit.
Foothills administrators say it wasn’t the school’s choice but the teams’ vote that decided on the forfeit. Andrew Mayer is the athletic director for the Foothills Academy and says he’s proud of the team.
“They are an equal part of our team. They have respect for the program. I just think it’s wonderful to give them that opportunity and allow them to play a sport that they love,” Mayer said.
The Christian schools which refused to play Foothills say they didn’t want to play against girls for religious reasons.
As for Colette and Alyssa, it was a great moment with their fellow teammates.
“They’re really supportive of us, and I think it brought our team together more than we were before,” Alyssa said.
