Sports returns to Los Angeles City College after 12-year absence
LOS ANGELES - On Friday, August 27, after 11 years of dormancy and a 12th year postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, South Coast Conference member Los Angeles City College welcomed the return of intercollegiate sports at its campus. The Cubs men's soccer team hosted Golden West College under the lights at LACC's field. While LA City lost the match, 2-1, the significance of playing the event itself wasn't lost on LACC athletic director Rob McKinley.
"What a wonderful night for LA City College and for our new student-athletes," he said. "We have been trying since 2012 in the kinesiology department as a staff to bring back sports to the campus. We finally got approval to add teams in December of 2019 thanks to our president, Dr. Mary Gallagher, who has been supportive throughout this process."
McKinley played baseball when LA City College carried a number of sports back in the mid-1990s. He joined the faculty staff in 2000 and even was a head coach from 2001-2002 of the Cubs baseball team. He has worked hard with other LACC staff members to initially bring men's and women's soccer teams for this 2021 season. He says the school will likely add two more sports some time before the 2022-2023 season.
"We were able to bring in soccer since we already had the facilities in place on campus," McKinley said. "We hired our coaches right before the pandemic hit in March, 2020. But we got through the hurdles of COVID-19 and it's a joy to have sports back. It's special for me as a former coach and student-athlete here."
Women's soccer head coach Lior Lipman also had his team in action on the road at College of the Desert and his squad actually led at one point, 1-0, on a goal off the foot of Stephanie Cardenas. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Desert tied it and then won the game in extra time, 2-1.
McKinley said the numbers are really strong with 37 players now part of the men's program under Javier Aguiniga Campos. Lipman has a 16-player roster currently for the women's team.
LA City last played sports in the 2008-2009 season as it then carried men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball and women's badminton. The school decided to axe the entire athletics program by 2010.
McKinley said: "Like any college, having athletics will start bringing up enrollment. Friends of the players will see that LA City has sports back and I think it will draw new students. You can see the interest already in just the two soccer programs."
As part of the return of athletics, LA City is also adding a Presto sports website to join the SCC's move to Presto as a communication platform to promote student-athletes, their programs and the coaches who run them. This includes the conference's official website at southcoastconf.com site.
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Photos of LA City College's 2021 home debut on Aug. 27.