The UNIS Sports program is undoubtedly associated with winning. In the 2023 New York City Athletic League (NYCAL) fall season, both the boys’ varsity and junior varsity soccer teams won the NYCAL championship. The Girls Junior Varsity (GJV) volleyball team won their NYCAL competition while the Boys Middle School (BMS) soccer and Girls Varsity (GV) volleyball teams came second in their competitions.
On the surface, this is something to celebrate. However, NYCAL poses vast issues for UNIS’ athletics program and participating students.
The NYCAL league is a sports conference between independent schools in Manhattan. There are nine participating schools, including the Lycée Français de New York, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, and The Browning School.
The NYCAL is divided into three seasons: fall, winter and spring. Information about the organization varies due to the number of websites bearing its name. However, according to one of these website, it offers cross-country, soccer, and female tennis and volleyball during the fall, basketball and track and field during the winter, and golf, male tennis and volleyball, softball, and baseball during the spring.
Despite all the benefits of NYCAL, it has been accused of addressing certain issues inadequately. Students from the Middle School and Tut House are increasingly reporting gender disparities within UNIS’s athletics. In a survey sent to thirty-six Tut House student-athletes, 22 percent of students believe that girls and boys are not given the same opportunities to play NYCAL sports and over 60 percent believe that one’s gender might lead to better facilities being available or increased publicity. These figures are presented below.
Examples of this gender disparity are said to be manifested by a lack of JV teams for girls, less social media coverage, and a lack of professional coaches. However, those who do not believe NYCAL is discriminatory argue that this may be because girls are not encouraged to play sports enough.
Due to lack of support for girls at UNIS and in New York City competitive leagues, some girls lose out on the opportunity to play for their schools, colleges, and potentially professionally. As one respondent noted, the “lack of Girls JV teams affects many T1/T2 girls because it makes them more likely to be left out from school varsity teams and miss out on school sports.”
Additionally, UNIS’s league simply is not competitive enough. As a school, we need to forge regional rivalries that challenge us. Schools like the British International School of New York and Avenues are some names that come to mind. NYCAL should also be expanded to offer more middle school and junior varsity opportunities to more students. At the lower level, girls and boys alike need to be encouraged to play a variety of sports.
Mr. O’Connor, the Athletic Director of UNIS, maintains that our school’s sporting system is inclusive. He has tried to create more sporting opportunities and programs for students. In an interview, he noted that “it’s really about getting girls to try out,” and that the boys’ varsity soccer team seemed to receive more attention because its season was “exceptionally well.” Additionally, he mentioned that “[the Athletics Department] now offers more opportunities for
students to play from 9 till 5 every Saturday and Sunday,” promoting recreational sports.
Despite NYCAL’s challenges, it is still an integral organization for us. Although, many of its problems need to be solved by individual schools first. We at UNIS have an obligation to help improve it, but at the same time still maintain its core values.
The full interview with Mr. O’Connor can be listened to here.
