The battle for the coveted intramural T-shirt will not take place on the soccer fields in 2006.

Recreation Services has officially removed indoor soccer from the spring intramural schedule.

“We’re taking a break,” said Garry Greenlee, associate director of Rec services.

Concern over sportsmanship and safety on the soccer field forced Rec services to cancel the spring season and the outdoor season in the fall.

“It’s something we cannot offer in a recreational setting like we do with our other activities,” Greenlee said. “It’s just a no-win situation.”

Greenlee held up a letter-sized envelope, which was stuffed with multicolored papers. This file, which contained all of the soccer violations, was much larger than that of the other sports.

During the fall tournament, in which more than 100 teams participated, multiple unsportsmanlike incidences were reported including sandbagging, rough play, verbal abuse and ineligible players. These citations were given as reasons to cancel the upcoming season.

“Part of the problem is the different levels. I don’t think people followed the rules,” said Megan Morrissey, president of the Iowa State Soccer Club. “I think it’s more frustration when you’re playing against people that aren’t at the same level.”

The Iowa State Soccer Club is also committed to getting the sport back on the schedule. Morrissey said the club would love to see intramural soccer return.

The news of the cancellation of the soccer season came as a surprise to some hopeful intramural soccer players.

“It’s a bit of a shock to me,” said Daniel Madison senior in civil engineering and fall 2005 tournament participant. “I never experienced anything that would warrant the cancellation of soccer altogether.”

Another concern for Rec services officials was the welfare of the referees. The pace and roughness of the play in a soccer game is not easily dictated by the student referees.

“There’s very little an inexperienced student official can do to control a physical game,” Greenlee said.

Abuse directed at the officials caused a drop in the officiating participation, making student referees for soccer difficult to find.

“The teams’ behavior drives the officials away year after year,” Greenlee said.

Rumors about the fate of intramural soccer have circulated since the Class A championship game in the fall. During the game, multiple scuffles broke out on the field. Because of the use of ineligible players and the general bad play of the game, no champion was crowned.

“There was poor sportsmanship on both sides,” said Joseph Mitchell, senior in management and participant in the final game. “It partly got out of control because calls were let go earlier.”

Matthew Xiong, junior in mechanical engineering and participant in the men’s greek division, voiced his concern about the recent decision.

“I think it’s really unfortunate. It’s a pretty big sport,” he said. “It’s not really fair for the people who were actually serious about it.”