Kids on the Pitch Podcast: High School Soccer Champions League movement is catching on. Is Pittsburgh next?

What if we told you that matches featuring championship high school boys and girls teams where they would take the field before each match with the pagentry of a Champions League match.

What if we told you that we would create a tournament that mirrors the format of renowned champions leagues worldwide, tailoring it to fit our local high school soccer scene.

What if we told you that discussions are now happening among high school coaches and other notables in the region on bringing a High School Champions League format to the Greater Pittsburgh area?

That’s right.

In the past few weeks, Pittsburgh Soccer Now and WPIAL soccer coaches connected with leaders and founders of the National High School Champions League Movement and have begun to have conversations about the formation and implementation of High School Champions League in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

On Thursday, PSN’s John Krysinsky sat down with one of the leaders of the High School Soccer Champions League movement, Jim Harte, who shared more on how it came to be and some of the early successes that they’ve had in various metro areas, including Tampa Bay, FL, and St. Louis, MO.

Some of the features of a High School Champions League would include and could potentially incorporated into Southwestern PA accordingly:

• A blind draw that divides teams into group play during the first half of the high school regular season, with matches played before section competition begins and/or every Saturday through the end of September.
• A combination of pool play and knockout round(s) with a Champions League Final played at one of major venues in the Pittsburgh area.
• Team placements based on the previous season’s achievements.  In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the set-up would most likely include inclusion of WPIAL (PIAA District 7), City League (PIAA District 8) and other District winners and/or PSISAA Champion schools, with potential additions coming from schools that didn’t win District titles but had high PIAA tournament finishes and/or were WPIAL runner-up.

John Krysinsky

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).