MORE SOCCER AT BU

Soccer is an integral part of local cultures across the world. It is something so positive that it brings smiles to childrenЇs as well as adult's faces even in the worst of circumstances. In most places simply arriving at a field with a soccer ball will win you instant friendships and immediate access into a local community. We are all experiencing the same when students from all over the world are peacefully playing soccer together in FitRec. Unfortunately BU and specifically the administration of FitRec still ignore the importance of soccer in the integration process of international students. There is only ONE SINGLE DAY, Saturday, reserved for soccer, when the courts are overfilled with tons of students eager to play soccer which can in turn become very frustrating because even though these are pick up games there can be very long waiting times. There is only a total of 5! hours scheduled for free soccer (excluding intramurals, which you have to pay and make the team allowance deadline for and which does not allow in the same way to get into touch with other students). Basketball, on the otherhand, has 195 hours, a dedicated 4 courts, and most of the time the three courts on the lower level. While administration claims that "they offer many intramurals and other sports as well" and can't afford to give soccer more time, this great discrepency is more than alarming for a school with such an international talent pool, along with kids walking around the halls with soccer balls under their arms, just wanting to get a game together. Unfortunately the school doesn't allow for it. This petition is demanding to allow at least 1 court every day dedicated to soccer while basketball is in free period or to at least get one more day of soccer time, preferably on Friday when most kids are already going to play soccer at FitRec but only have one court for only 2 hours at their disposition. We don't think it is too much to ask basketball players to use the 4 courts they have, and allow us soccer fanatics to get our game on!!!!!!!!!!