For years it has been the topic of conversation around town, debated and hashed over by nearly everyone that stepped foot on campus, and until this point I have kept my mouth shut.

But now is my time to weigh in.

Let me start by saying that there is nothing more enjoyable than spending a random fall afternoon sitting in the sand on Wrightsville Beach, holding on to the last bit of warmth that the sun has to offer.

But those days are limited and everyone knows it.

There comes point every fall when the water becomes unbearable and the wind keeps the beaches mostly empty. It’s these months where we are all left looking at each other, wondering what to do.

This is where you come in.

We need a football team and we need one bad.

Picture it now: a cool fall Saturday afternoon, driving on campus past the mobs of teal that tailgate before the game. Think about walking into the stadium as 20,000 Seahawk fans cheer on their team.

The idea is simple if you really think about it. We have plenty of land on campus-a stadium could be put any number of places. We have plenty of student and community support-Wilmington boasts just over 108,000 citizens while UNCW is home to more than 13,000 students. And we have the perfect recruiting tool-who wouldn’t want to come play football at the beach with 3:2 female to male student body ratio.

Take a look at what UNC Charlotte has done.

In 2008 the Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to add a football team to their varsity sports, and now, one year away from their inaugural season, the city of Charlotte is brimming with excitement. The University is in the process of putting the final touches on their new stadium, a state-of-the-art facility with room to grow in the coming years, and the 49er marketing campaign has gone haywire. Who says we can’t do the same?

Yeah, we might have to swallow a few one-sided loses in the early stages. But there’s no doubt that UNCW football could step right into the CAA and compete with the other 11 programs that are already in place (I know you saw Towson on SportsCenter’s “Not Top 10”). And while we might not initially be on par with East Carolina, you can’t tell me it wouldn’t be exciting to gear up for that opening week matchup against those Pirates in the newly constructed Hawk’s Nest Stadium (Yes, we would have to rename the cafeteria). 

All I ask is that you consider it, for the good of the university.

Football is the only thing keeping UNCW from being one of the premier universities in the South and we can fix that right now. It won’t take much, and we, the students, will be there every step of the way.

Take your own advice and Dare to Soar. I promise you wont regret it.