FSU announces addition of women's lacrosse as varsity sport, plans gender equity review
Florida State will add women’s lacrosse as a varsity sport in time for the 2025-26 academic year, the university announced Tuesday afternoon. It will be the Seminoles’ 21st scholarship sports program.
The announcement comes two months after the school received a demand letter from attorneys representing the university’s women’s club lacrosse team, stating that the Seminoles were not compliant with Title IX requirements.
FSU referenced that complaint in its Tuesday press release: “In arriving at Tuesday’s announcement, FSU engaged with the women’s club lacrosse team and their legal representatives in a collegial and cooperative dialogue.”
“This is the right thing to do, and we are doing it for the right reasons,” Florida State athletics director Michael Alford said in the release. “It’s a significant step in our gender equity plan. We are pleased to demonstrate our commitment toward providing the very best opportunities and resources for both our female and male athletes.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title IX requires schools to, “provide equal opportunity based on sex. This requirement applies to schools’ athletic programs, including club, intramural, and intercollegiate teams.”
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Along with adding the new sport, Florida State also announced intentions to “conduct a gender equity review” of its athletics programs and create a new Gender Equity Plan by July 31, 2024.
According to the release: “The plan will be implemented as quickly as possible, with all aspects of FSU’s intercollegiate athletics program in compliance with Title IX by the 2025-26 academic year and in future years. As the world of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve, FSU will maintain flexibility with how to achieve gender equity and Title IX compliance.”
Said Alford: “Creating opportunities for women to achieve excellence has always been a bedrock of our values at Florida State. This is merely another chapter in a long history. We have been, and continue to be, unwavering in our commitment to that. It’s integral to our university and athletics culture. That’s been reflected in our elevated financial support for facilities and staff for women’s teams in recent years.”
“We are excited to add women’s lacrosse as a varsity scholarship program at Florida State,” Alford continued. “Lacrosse is the fastest growing college sport nationally and it is evident that our culture and community will enthusiastically embrace it. Lacrosse provides another opportunity to compete at a championship level.”
Florida State plans to begin its search for a women’s varsity lacrosse in the coming weeks.
Here is the complete release from FSU announcing the news.
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