Panthers Migrate West
After 28 years of hosting sports, the Foothill Athletic Conference will no longer exist. As the smallest community college athletic conference in California,travel, cost and competition has been difficult for the seven schools involved.
With the exception of the Big Eight and Golden Valley, most athletic conferences in California host 10 to 12 schools, which disperses costs and allows for more diverse competition.
Both have been a problem for the Foothill Conference.
“We can’t get preseason games,” the commissioner, Dean Crowley said. “It just wasn’t fair to our schools.”
Beginning next season, the schools that have participated in the Foothill Conference will find homes in already existing conferences throughout Southern California.
Going separate ways are Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), nullifying a close rivalry that has existed in basketball, baseball, softball and soccer. While competition will continue to be close between these two schools, wins will be less important to the teams’ success.
Chaffey will join Mt. San Antonio College in the South Coast Conference, which will intensify the recruitment of players out of local high schools as well as give some weight to the rivalry that already exists.
“To me, change is exciting,” Athletic Director Jeff Klein said.
The South Coast conference features schools west of Chaffey, reaching as far as Long Beach City College.
“Whenever we’re playing west,” Klein said, “I think there is more of a relevancy with our players.”
Chaffey College’s basketball, softball, baseball, soccer and volleyball teams have participated in the Foothill Conference since its formation in 1988. The Football team became part of the newly organized Southern California Football Association in 2008, leaving the Foothill Conference to compete in the National Central Conference.
“It is a very political situation,” Crowley said.
Before the decision to disband the Foothill Conference, Crowley and other representatives made a petition to re-league the community colleges, but it was tabled by the board.
The petition proposed a rearrangement of the athletic conferences to form competitive standings of no less than 10 and no more than 12 schools in each, while also considering location. Crowley felt that it was overdue, as California junior colleges have not re-leagued in about 25 years.
“Community colleges are way behind the times when it comes to re-leaguing,” he said.
There were originally nine schools competing in the Foothill Conference, but when Mt. San Jacinto and Antelope Valley left in the Fall of 2013, it left Chaffey and six other community colleges locked in the smallest athletic conference in the state. As there is a requirement to have at least seven schools in a conference, and no colleges in the area petitioned to add, the Foothill Conference has remained the same since.
Financially, the conference has become difficult to maintain because of the low number of schools involved.
“By having less teams in our conference,” Klein said, “our dues were exorbitant.”
In addition, a larger conference will give the Panthers more opponents to face throughout the season.
Joining the same conference as Mt. Sac will give Chaffey motivation to perform well athletically, as well as compete in the recruiting process.
“Mt. Sac is this Goliath,” Klein said, “and we’re a little bit more like the David.”
While Chaffey has always recruited players against Mt. Sac, Citrus and SBVC, switching into a more competitive league may lead to success in getting players.
“It’s definitely good for our players and good for our fans,” Klein said.
The dissolution of the Foothill Conference sends schools to three already existing conferences, dispersing cost and adding to the competition.
“This is the best thing that could have happened to the schools,” Crowley said.
