This story has been contributed at my request by Coach Nick Schmitt, West Plains Zizzers.
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In the Spring of 2009, Girls High School Soccer in Missouri will expand to 3 classes. Why is this happening? Do we really need three classes? What does it mean for the schools in Southwest Missouri?

Why are we going to have three classes in Girls Soccer in 2009?

It is all pretty simple really. Because the number of schools participating in girls soccer continues to grow, a third State Championship Class will be added.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association determines the number of classes in each sport or activity based on the number of schools registered for that sport or activity. There is a maximum of 5 Classes except for Football. For safety purposes, schools shall be divided in six Classes in 11-man Football. The MSHSAA uses the following numbers to determine the number of classes in an activity:

128 or fewer schools - 1 Class
129-192 schools - 2 Classes
193-256 schools - 3 Classes
257-513 schools - 4 Classes
514 or more schools - 5 Classes

From 1985 (the first year the MSHSAA sponsored a State Championship in Girls Soccer) through 1998, there was only one class in Girls Soccer. Every school regardless of their size competed for one State Championship. By 1998, the number of schools participating in Girls Soccer passed the 129 mark and Girls Soccer was split into two classes from 1999 through 2008. For 2008 there were 199 schools registered for Girls soccer, 6 more than the 193 required to have 3 classes. We will add another 4 school with girls soccer in 2009 in Southwest Missouri alone (Branson, Carl Junction, Carthage, and Logan-Rogersville). So with a new two-year classification cycle beginning, Girls Soccer will expand to 3 classes just like the boys.

Do we really need three classes?

Some people argue that adding classes lessens the accomplishment of becoming a State Champion. To quote one poster on www.Stlsoccer.net

6 classes for football is a joke. Only 32 schools are in class 6 for the entire state. I hope that soccer never goes for such insanity. It is bad enough with 3 classes. In football, we have 6 different champions. This trend in America of lessening the importance of achievement is not a good long-term trend. Winning needs to be meaningful and not just granted.”

In Arkansas, where soccer has been a sanctioned sport since 1998, they now have 4 classes in soccer. In 2008, there were 75 boys teams and 70 girls teams competing for 4 State Championships each. Does it lessen the accomplishment of a State Championship or does it make for a more level playing field.

According to the MSHSAA Constitution, Article II Section 1: Philosophy, “Interscholastic activities are an integral part which complements the secondary curricular program. This program shall provide educational and social experiences for the students and school community which result in positive learner outcomes contributing to the development of good citizenship, sportsmanship and equitable competition.”

Equitable can be defined as: characterized by equity or fairness. Is it fair for a school with an adjusted enrollment figure of 134 to have to compete for a State Championship against a school with an enrollment figure of 1200? Not really. But that is how it would be if we didn’t add a third class in Girls Soccer. So adding classes helps to make things more equitable for all schools and provides the opportunity for more student/athletes to compete for a State Championship.

In some states, there is a call to reduce the number of classes. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, in Indiana they are surveying members about scaling back from 4 Classes to 3 Classes in basketball.

“Since the expansion in the 1997-98 season, schools have experienced problems with travel distances, transportation costs, revenue, sectional brackets and alignments—and fan interest.”

Will we have the same impact with Girls Soccer? I can’t say for sure one way or the other. But with more and more schools adding the sport, I think there are enough schools in most areas that adding a class isn’t going to effect travel a great deal for most schools.

What does it mean for Southwest Missouri?

The enrollment numbers for all schools are taken every two years for re-classification purposes. Enrollment numbers are taken the last Wednesday of September in odd numbered years (2007) and are used to determine the classes for the following two years. Non-public school enrollments are multiplied by a 1.35 adjustment factor. Single gender school enrollments are doubled (nonpublic schools would then be multiplied by 1.35). The top 96 schools are in class 3. In that 96 are schools that don’t play soccer and single gender schools. They still count in the 96. It isn’t the largest 96 soccer playing schools. The next 96 are in Class 2 and the rest are in class 1.

What does that mean for Southwest Missouri? In 2008, there were Two Class 2 Districts made up of 6 teams each, one Class 1 District with 9 schools. Another Class 1 District has 4 schools (Dixon, Laquey, Richland, St. James) which could be considered part of Southwest Missouri. This makes a total of 25 schools. Add in the 4 new schools that begin play next year and you have 29 schools in our region. Nobody except the MSHSAA can say for sure what will happen as far as District Assignments, but here is a good guess. Not only will we change to 3 classes, but some schools with move because of their enrollment numbers. The enrollment breaks for the next 2-year cycle are:

Class 3 = 1203 and above
Class 2 = 578-1202
Class 1 = 577 and below

For a complete listing of school enrollments visit the MSHSAA website http://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/Info/Gymnastics_News_Gymnastics_content.aspx?viewmode=story&storyid=27

Class 3 – will include the following schools:

Branson (new program), Carthage (new program), Central, Glendale, Hillcrest, Joplin, Kickapoo, Lebanon, Neosho, Nixa, Ozark, Parkview, Rolla, Waynesville, Willard (moving up from small class)

Class 3 will be the most interesting to watch. With 15 schools, they could be divided with 7 schools in one district and 8 schools in the other. Another possibility would be to move a school to another district (Rolla to Central Missouri joining Camdenton, Jeff City, Smith-Cotton, Rock Bridge and Hickman). Another possibility would be to divide the schools into 3 districts. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. (Note: the same thing will happen with the boys as in Class 3 as Carthage and Willard will move up from Class 2 and Branson will be a new program – so we should see how this plays out in August)

Class 2 – will include the following schools

Bolivar, Carl Junction (new program), Logan-Rogersville (new program), Marshfield, St. James (Could go to a district toward St. Louis), West Plains

With class 2, I would assume that we will only have 8 districts like the boys, but how that shakes out is anyone’s guess. Will we have a 5 or 6 team district in Southwest Missouri? Some new teams will get their shot at winning a District Championship as Catholic who has won the last 6 District Titles will be in the smaller class.

Class 1 – will include the following schools

Dixon (could go to a district toward Central Missouri), Greenwood, Laquey (could go to a district toward Central Missouri), Liberty (Mountain View), McAuley, Pleasant Hope,
Richland (could go to a district toward Central Missouri), Springfield Catholic

With class 1, I would also assume that we will only have 8 districts like the boys, but we’ll have to wait and see. How many teams will be grouped here will be the big question.

I think going to Three Classes for Girls Soccer is a good thing. It gives more teams the opportunity to pursue District and State Championships. For now we will all have to wait to see how the MSHSAA sorts out the District Assignments. For those of you who weren’t sure what was happening, I hope this shed’s a little light on the subject. If you are curious as to where I got most of this information, it is available in the MSHSAA Handbook which can be found on the MSHSAA website www.mshsaa.org.

What about Conference affiliation?

The MSHSAA doesn’t control Conference affiliation, but I think they consider Conference affiliation somewhat when making district assignments.

Will it cause a problem scheduling schools in the Districts? Is it that important to play all the teams in your District? At West Plains we don’t play most schools that are currently in our District, but our Conference schedule does a great job of preparing us for District Play, so playing everyone in the District isn’t a necessity, although it does help being familiar with an opponent.

Will a change in classes have any effect on Conference affiliation? I don’t know. There is always some talk about conferences changing, but it doesn’t always happen. Most recently we have seen the Central Ozark Conference expand to 15 teams (Not all of them play soccer) which will allow them to have an official Conference Champion in soccer for the first time this fall.

Adding a Class in soccer probably won’t affect Conference affiliations, but changing enrollments could be something that effect things. Schools on the fringe or that find drastic changes in their enrollments could change or be forced to change Conferences. When looking at Conference affiliation, you have to look at the big picture. Right now I think the Conferences as they are now seem to be a pretty good fit as far as schools being competitive. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next few years.
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Thanks to Coach Schmitt for his contribution. He is also in the process of writing “In Pursuit Of A Championship: The History of High School Soccer in Southwest Missouri” – due out Spring 2009

http://www.pursuitofachampionship.info – Book Website
http://zizzersoccer.com – HS Soccer Website