After spending the first six seasons of their existence playing only away games, Hartford Men’s Club Soccer will play their first home game on Friday, October 18th, at Al-Marzook Field. For the members of Men’s Club Soccer, as well as the entirety of club sports on the University of Hartford campus, this has been a long time coming. Not only will Friday be the first game for Men’s Club Soccer at Al-Marzook Field, it will be the first official game played by any club sport on the field. 

Club Soccer president and University of Hartford senior Jack McLaughlin said of the game, “It’s a lot of work come to fruition, ever since last year we’ve heard this is gonna be a possibility. It’s something we’ve been working on all summer.” The idea was first brought to McLaughlin’s attention when club sports became more involved with the recreational side of campus as opposed to being solely at the discretion of the Office of Student Engagement and Inclusiveness. This change provided club teams with a different kind of opportunity. According to Recreation and Club Sports Coordinator Tyler Shoneck, “We have more access to the field. That’s why [club teams] can be out practicing on [Al-Marzook] field. And that’s why Men’s Club Soccer can have their game on [Friday] the 18th.” 

For the members of Men’s Club Soccer, they hope this home game is the first of many, and that this is the end of an era of being nomadic in the club soccer world. McLaughin described the struggles of being a traveling team in the college world: 

“I’m a senior, this is my fourth year in the club, for the entirety of the time I’ve been here. It’s been all road games. Carpool, sometimes we travel as far as Rhode Island, New London, CT sometimes…It’s definitely been tough, it’s not been without its trials and tribulations.”

Constantly having to travel for games has created more issues than just gas expenses. University of Hartford sophomore and club Vice President, Felipe Ramirez explained,  “That was tough. We have games against Trinity (20 minutes away) ,but we also have games in Rhode Island (60-75 minutes). It’s hard when you’re trying to gather people.” 

Arguably no member of club soccer has struggled with this grueling travel schedule than Coach Jaden Vuong, “It’s been rough. The boys were kind of on our own…but now that we have this home game…we have our full attention, guys are coming in supporting us, and we fully appreciate it.” With the behind the scenes work complete, the attention has turned to this Friday’s game against Trinity College. And with a new beginning, the members of the club soccer team are hopeful that this is the beginning of a new era for all club sports on the University of Hartford campus.

“We fully wish to take advantage of this opportunity” Vuong said, “We’ve been fighting for this opportunity for a long time, and now that we have it, we want to seize it and take advantage of it as well” Looking to seize the moment, the leaders of the club have mapped out their hopes for the future beyond Friday’s game. 

Ramirez and McLaughlin spoke on these goals, Ramirez said, “The main hope is now that next semester, we’re gonna have a lot more home games, and we’re going to show the athletics department that we can guarantee the field can be used by club sports.” 

McLaughlin added, “We really just want to build on this, hopefully home games are something that are going to be a regular occurrence here. Something that will enable us to attract more players and just continue to build that culture that we hope to have.”

Friday’s game serves as the foundation for all club sports–including club soccer–to grow and develop. As Shoneck said, “These are student run organizations.” Students who–while they enjoy the game–have other responsibilities. Men’s Club Soccer is just the first club to experience this opportunity, and it is not lost on them the impact this can have on all club sports.

“It’s honestly an honor” said Men’s Club Soccer Vice President Ramirez, “especially being the first ones to get this honor to play this game. We’re definitely going to put some initiative forward for a lot more clubs, not just soccer.”  Students cannot consistently take the time away from their classes or jobs to travel the one or two hour trips both ways across state lines. However, the ability to hold games on Al-Marzook Field provides students a new cycle of opportunities. For one, they would have a new ability to maintain their academic lives while playing consistently. For many players, they’d find new social circles and maybe a sense of belonging. This, of course, leads to the building of culture within these clubs and allows them to flourish far after the Jack McLaughlin’s, Jaden Vuong’s, and Felipe Ramirez’s. 

This Friday’s game against Trinity serves as what Shoneck calls “Hopefully the first of many.” Hartford Men’s Club Soccer will take the field Al-Marzook Field at 6:30 P.M, with the hope that this is just the beginning of a new era of club sports. Entry to the game is free, and Men’s Club Soccer hopes the fans will come out in droves to take in this historic event. However, if you can’t make the drive to Al-Marzook Field, STN will be broadcasting the game with the help of Hartford Athletics. You can watch the game by clicking here.