The other football

There’s no doubt that football is the king of fall sports. Songs, movies, and TV shows have been dedicated to the culture of high school football. But what about schools that don’t have football teams? Where do their fans gravitate between August and November? For three area schools, the answer seems to be boys’ soccer.

Though Western Michigan Christian does not have a football team of their own, they do have a co-op program with North Muskegon High School. Even with this, Western Michigan Christian’s soccer team still packs the stands when they have games. Part of this undoubtedly is a result of the Warrior’s repeated success in soccer. The Warriors have made 11 state title game appearances since 1982: more than almost any other team in the state. Attendance isn’t purely driven by state titles, though.

“When we’re successful we draw a better crowd because people like to see winners,” said Fred VandenBrand, athletic director and sports information director at Western Michigan Christian, “but our fans always support us, win or lose.”

Take the 2005 season, for example. In 2004, the Warriors claimed their second Division IV state title in a row. The following year, the team went 8-8-1 on the season.

This hardly deterred Western Michigan Christian’s fans, especially during districts.

“The place was packed even though we had a losing season,” head coach David Hulings said.

Hulings, who also coaches girl’s soccer at Division II Fruitport, has found that Western Michigan Christian tends to be the exception to the attendance rule.

“We have great attendance compared to who we’re playing,” Hulings said. “WMC often has more fans at an away game than the home team.”

Freedom Christian recently began to build a strong reputation in boys’ soccer, claiming the 2002 and 2009 Division IV state championships. Unlike Western Michigan Christian, Freedom has no sort of football program. Athletic director and head soccer coach Nathan Sharpe said this helps the soccer team in two ways.

“With no football team we have more guys come out for soccer in the fall,” Sharpe said. “It also helps attendance at end-of-the-week games because people don’t have to choose between soccer and football.”

With an enrollment of 140 students, Freedom Christian is the second smallest school in the River Valley Conference. Even with a smaller student body, Sharpe has still seen Falcons-supporting crowds that are the size of other schools’ crowds.

“It goes back to the legacy that other Freedom teams have left,” Sharpe said. “We have the atmosphere of a soccer school.”

Covenant Christian, unlike Western Michigan Christian and Freedom Christian, does not have a state title to their name to draw fans. For their team, the season is one the biggest factors in drawing a crowd.

“Attendance depends on the team and year,” head coach Mike Noorman said. “Success breeds popularity.”

How close the game is to home also makes a big difference.

“When we play within half an hour we usually get a good crowd,” Noorman said. “The closer the better for crowd support.”

Even if attendance at Covenant Christian soccer games isn’t quite what it may be at Western Michigan Christian or Freedom Christian, the number of people in the stands still makes a difference.

“I think when the players are excited more fans come,” Noorman said. “Fan excitement leads to team excitement, especially in tournament time.”