It’s been a long time since the Morris Brown College Wolverines have graced a court, field or stadium in Atlanta. That’s about to change, according to a recent release.
Morris Brown College in a partnership with Boyd Parker Sports Group, Diaspora Athletic Company and the Black Soccer Membership Association plan to bring soccer back to campus, according to Morris Brown College President Kevin E. James. “We’re bringing some small sports back starting with soccer,” James told The Atlanta Voice during an interview Monday afternoon.
The soccer team will be more like a soccer club at its beginning, James said. He told The Atlanta Voice that the team will start as a club sport and will transition into a varsity sports “within a couple of years,” he said. The program will most likely move to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) when it does become an official program.
The Wolverines haven’t had varsity sports talk place on campus in over 20 years after decades of excellence at the Division I and II levels on the football field and basketball court.
The reason for bringing sports back is clear to James. “We need to have outside of the classroom activities for these students for them to have the full collegiate experience,” he said.
Enrollment at Morris Brown College is up 1000% following the institution regaining its accreditation in April. Sports can be a way to enhance recruiting efforts and retaining students, James said.
What’s Next:
There are plans to bring a golf team and bowling team to campus as well. These sports, along with soccer are more favorable for smaller schools because they do not require a lot of players and on-campus facilities in order to compete on the collegiate level. “With these sports we can go elsewhere to play,” James said.