Ashland University has removed men's soccer program from its existing academic list to better its structure and manage its financial resources.
"It grieves me deeply to make this very difficult decision. I feel badly for our student-athletes, their families and our coaches," AU athletic director Bill Goldring said. "However, there are the financial and equity realities that are being faced by athletic departments across the country."
"Every aspect of the university is being examined," University president Frederick Finks said. "We are looking at how we want to reposition ourselves moving forward."
Finks said that the removal of the football program was just one part of the reorganization plan. The university has decided not to fill empty jobs and plans to shut down its Cleveland and Massillon satellite facilities to effectively allocate the $4.2-million budget to the university's higher priorities.
While the 24 student athletes on the soccer team will be hugely affected, the university has promised to help them choose prospective institutions to pursue their athletic careers, Goldring said in a statement.
After the deletion of the soccer program, AU now consists of 19 athletic intercollegiate sports - nine for men and 10 for women.
