Mike Medina, director of campus life for recreation, commends student leaders for their passion and unwavering dedication in getting the program up and running.

“Overall, this has been a hugely student-driven initiative,” Medina said. “They have been asking and working on getting club sports at the university for a long time now.”

Club sports offer eligible, full-time students the opportunity for athletic competition with other colleges and universities throughout New England.

Carly Klimek, president of the women’s soccer team, is most looking forward to developing the feeling of family.

“Club sports offer a whole new experience for students at Quinnipiac,” she said. “The opportunity to be a part of a group that feels like family is something special. It is a great feeling to have 20 or so people around you, who supports you and are there to pick you up when you’re down — on or off the field.”

Club sports provide the perfect balance between fun and competition while bringing it to a scope that is much more in tune for student-athletes who do not have the time commitment to play a Division I sport.

“In some cases, we have some really skilled athletes who were just unable to play at the Division I level, and this now gives them the opportunity to represent their university against other schools,” Medina said.

Each club sports team went through a tryout process to finalize their respective rosters. This initiative opened up many leadership positions for students as well. A president, vice president, treasurer, team manager and safety resource officer are assigned to each team to ensure that each team runs smoothly and prioritizes safety on and off the field.

“I'm really looking forward to seeing the different privileges that we will obtain from having the ‘Q’ on our chests,” said Ben Mahon, president of the men’s rugby team.

“Having an enthusiastic staff behind us to organize opportunities with our league, so we can take that weight off of our shoulders and focus on running our team is so beneficial.”

On Saturday, the women’s soccer team will play Connecticut College in their home-opener at noon at North Haven Middle School. The men’s rugby team will play Southern Connecticut State University in their home-opener at 1 p.m. at the North Haven Athletic Complex. All games are free and open to everyone. No tickets are required.

In all, there are 10 club sports teams debuting this year: Dance, figure skating, men's ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men's rugby, women’s soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball,

Get the latest news — and follow the teams throughout the season — at instagram.com/quclubsports.