High school soccer team forfeits after other team refuses to play against girl teammates

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — An Arizona high school boys’ soccer team forfeited a recent match after the other team refused to play because of the two female players on the team.

The Arizona Republic reported that the Foothills Academy College Prep boys' soccer team's opponent, Faith Christian, would not take the field Friday because of the two female players on the Foothills' side.

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This is the second time a school has objected to the female players. The first time, the two female players sat out and Foothills lost the game, but the school declined to comply to the request this time.

"Actually, it was the team's decision," Foothills coach Steven Rains said. "They would not play without their team. They felt the girls earned the right to be on the team. And they won't play without them."

Faith Christian officials cited religious beliefs as the reason they declined to play their male team against female players.

"I know it appears to fly in the face of what everyone is wanting to promote today, and that is equality," Dick Buckingham, administrative leader of Faith Christian, said. "It is based on a religious perspective that God created guys and girls differently. The difference physically, there is a strength advantage that men have over women. We want to teach our men that honor of ladies is just not in sports. We struggle how to teach that if we're allowing them to play against young ladies in a competitive game. We're the ones harmed because we're giving up a game. We think it's better to do that than give a mixed message."

The Arizona Republic reported on Monday that the first time another school refused to play Foothills, the girls’ mother decided to hold them from the game against Our Lady of Sorrows.

"I was like, 'I don't want this stuff to hurt the boys,' '' Noelle Avey said. "When it happened again, things changed. I would like to stress the outstanding character the boys on this team have shown by standing with their female teammates. I can't say enough about these boys, this team, the team parents, our coach, and our athletic director for supporting our female athletes. I believe one aspect of sport is that it brings different religions, races and genders together."

This isn’t the first time a game was forfeited due to a school declining to face female players on one side, according to the Arizona Republic, as a state championship baseball game was forfeited in 2012 after one school did not want to play the female player on the other team.

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