Thousands of college students across the country love and play soccer at a competitive level. But there aren’t nearly as many soccer teams at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
An organization called HBCU FC is working to change that during this season of World Cup action in America, Mexico and Canada. This spring, it held an inaugural “HBCU Football Club Classic” at Durham County Memorial Stadium, in Durham North Carolina.
Raymond Brooks heads Digital Development for HBCU FC, based in Greensboro. He says the gooooooooal is to “amplify HBCU culture” through the global game of soccer.
Brooks played soccer for Mars Hill University in western North Carolina. He says it was hard choosing between attending a predominately white school, like Mars Hill, because it had a soccer team and eliminating a historically Black college from his list because it didn’t have soccer.
“It was a very, very harsh decision,” said Brooks. “If you look at a lot of ‘person of color’ athletes now today playing soccer at these big NCAA schools, I wouldn’t say they regret their decisions. But they sometimes wonder and reflect what would happen, maybe, at a different school.”
Brooks says he now knows an athlete can be committed to a favorite HBCU and still have the love of the game.
The stands were empty at the stadium for the HBCU FC Classic, but the music was thumping and the weather was perfect. The soccer players participated in six versus six games and they also took part in a one versus one skills competition.
The coed teams looked the part wearing matching team shirts bearing the names “Equality FC,” “The Yard FC,” “Unity FC” and “The Fight FC,” in my HBCU school colors of orange and green.
Several members of the women’s soccer team at HBCU, Virginia State University competed. They say they’re glad their sisterhood is strong because it’s needed on the field.
Tatiana Ward of Woodbridge, a junior at Virginia State, says most of the teams they play are all white and there has been controversy.
“I know there’s been several teams who have called us names and say we are aggressive, we’re loud, we’re ghetto,” said Ward. “But we just play our game and let that speak for itself.”
Last fall, the Virginia State Trojans beat Shaw University, an HBCU, to win its first USCAA Small College National Championship.
Most of the soccer teams at HBCUs are women’s teams and they are in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), including Jackson State University, Grambling University and Alabama A&M University.
The most celebrated HBCU soccer team is Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1971, the Bison men’s soccer team was the first and only HBCU to win an NCAA Division I Championship. They were stripped of the title, citing ineligible players. But Howard came back and won the national championship soccer title again in 1974.
Jacky Fulu Kiazayadioko says he hopes the presence of the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings HBCU soccer back to its glory days. He is a “winger” at Shaw University in Raleigh, one of only a few HBCU men’s soccer teams.
“I’m very excited! Just to let y'all know my team haven’t made it to the World Cup in a long time!” shouted Kiazayadioko. “We finally made it to the World Cup! I’m getting my ticket!”
Kiazayadioko was raised in Charlotte but celebrates his home family team from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He says he hopes to play for them one day.
DR Congo is scheduled to play its first match Wednesday, June 17 in Houston against Portugal.
Meanwhile, the winner of the inaugural HBCU FC Classic was “Equality FC.” The team won $5,000, which they donated. This fall, HBCU FC says it is kicking off a Match Day Tour to highlight HBCU student athletes.
