Pittsburgh Soccer Now has learned that City Schools Allderdice and Obama Academy boys and girls soccer teams have been ruled ineligible for WPIAL section and postseason competition.
WPIAL (PIAA’s District 7) officials have shared that soccer games scheduled in the WPIAL featuring Pittsburgh City Schools’ (PIAA District 8) Allderdice and Obama Academy, who have been competing as associate members, are now no longer considered section matches, and will only count as friendlies.
WPIAL chief operating officer Vince Sortino shared this with the schools in an email on Thursday.
Sortino stated in the email that the two schools were included in WPIAL section alignments at the City League’s request (as they have been in previous years), but due to a PIAA rule that was passed July 2023 that states that schools which are not from the same district can no longer request an exemption to compete in different districts as associate members.
For a number of years, primarily due to lack of schools within the City League who field soccer teams, the WPIAL included Pittsburgh City Schools soccer teams in its section competition as an associate member.
The bottom line here is that WPIAL (District 7) officials and Pittsburgh City Schools Athletics (City League – District 8) misguided the City League schools to continue to compete in the WPIAL in soccer (and also Tennis) even after this rule was put in place by PIAA before the 2023 season.
The PIAA Rule states: Teams from member schools are eligible to participate in PIAA District Championship tournaments and Contests only in the PIAA District in which they are a member.
The PIAA board approved the change in February 2023 and member schools voted 799-27 to enact the rule effective July 1, 2023.
In order to stay in compliance with this rule, the WPIAL informed Allderdice and Obama Academy’s soccer teams — nearly a year and three months later — that they are not eligible to compete in the WPIAL playoffs.
Sortino told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday that the the ineligibility was noticed only recently.
According to Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s latest Playoff Projections, Allderdice’s boys soccer team (6-3-1, 4-2-1 in Class 3A, Section 3), who did not play on Thursday, are currently in 3rd place in the section they’ve been assigned, and would have been in line to secure a playoff berth.
Obama Academy’s boys team (4-8-0, 2-8-0 in section), also in Class 3A, but in Section 1, played on Thursday, losing 2-1 at Mars.
Allderdice’s girls team (4-7-0, 2-5-0 in section) competes in Class 4A, where they’ve been battling for a playoff spot in Section 3. Obama Academy’s girls side has been competing in Class 3A and were not in contention for a playoff spot.
Pittsburgh Soccer Now has reached out to both Allderdice and Obama Academy teams.
Sources with Allderdice’s teams have said they will be fighting this ruling to retain their eligibility.
Awful. Inexcusable.
It’s an incredibly bad look for PIAA and WPIAL that two schools that are very economically and racially diverse communities are ruled ineligible; and to rule that at the end of the season – not before it starts. https://t.co/TwhTIUmQzM
— Soccer Rabbi (@soccer_rabbi) October 4, 2024
This is a developing story, and Pittsburgh Soccer Now will have more to share as it unfolds.