The following is the letter sent to Central League boosters outlining the problems concerning the current format of the Central League in relation to concerning safety and competitive fairness. Approval to publish the letter was granted to the Delco Times.
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TO: PIAA District 1 RE: Central League Administrative Meeting
Central League Football Boosters November 20, 2013
“Ask your principal and Athletic Director to approve “Divisional Play” on November 20th
Dear Central League Football Boosters,
You are receiving this correspondence because your community is a member of the 12 school PIAA District
1, Central League Football Program. On Wednesday, November 20, 2013 a meeting will be held among the Principals and Athletic Directors from our 12 schools to discuss the issue of AAAA schools playing AAA schools. These matters are of great importance to the future of each football program in the Central league, beginning with the 2014 schedule.
The Radnor Gridiron Booster club is asking for your support by contacting your schools Football Coach, Principal and Athletic Director in support of the proposed change to “Divisional Play” that will be voted on November 20th.
Our Perspective:
The PIAA categorizes schools based on student population for most sports. These size groupings are designed to insure safe, competitive play among participating schools. Football has 4 categories, largest to smallest; AAAA, AAA, AA & A.
Our communities are located within District 1 of the PIAA which contains:
• 44 AAAA schools
• 21 AAA schools
• 4 AA schools
• 5 A schools
Our own Central League, a grouping of 12 schools within District 1, contains:
• 6 AAAA schools
• 6 AAA schools.
Across the State of Pennsylvania, leagues within PIAA Districts have, over time, reorganized their participating football programs into groupings and game schedules which align with the school size categories mentioned above. Suburban Pittsburgh, PIAA District 7, is probably the most successful example where there are no “crossover” games (AAAA vs. AAA, AAA vs. AA, etc.) unless a formal request is made by a smaller school to play larger schools.
In our PIAA District 1, similar restructuring has taken place in neighboring leagues; Ches-Mont, Suburban One and others have intentionally divided schools into more competitive groupings based on PIAA categories and performance history. This has not been the case in the Central League.
Our Problem:
Over time, as the Central League has evolved, considerable change has occurred in our communities and in high school football. The causes for these changes are many; however, the result has led to a significant gap in performance among the 12 teams in the Central league. Lopsided, uneven football games now typify our league and the division falls primarily between the two PIAA categories, AAAA & AAA. Most importantly, the outcome no longer represents the intention of the PIAA to insure safe, competitive play among similar sized schools. Reorganization is overdue.
We must direct our attention to the obvious. Consider what is at risk …
• SAFETY – Football is a collision sport. We must do everything possible to make this sport safer to play.
Player numbers are naturally lower in smaller schools. When a team is faced with a match-up against a larger school with a greater number of players, the larger school does not have to play as many players both ways. The more fatigued player from the smaller school then becomes more susceptible to injury.
Furthermore, when the fatigued player from the smaller school comes out of the game, they are often replaced with a JV caliber athlete who is at an even greater injury risk than the starter. In other sports mismatched teams walk away from the contest with a lopsided score; in football, the score is lopsided and young men are carried off of the field.
• COMPETITIVE PLAY – Over time, the unfortunate outcome of lopsided, uneven contests is reduced participation.
As mentioned, one factor leading to reduced participation is the disproportionate numbers of injuries for smaller teams. Injuries take their toll. Disproportionate injuries for smaller programs only serve to erode the program further as players are less likely to return after successive injuries occur.
Poor player experience also reduces participation. Scheduling larger schools year after year against smaller schools in contests where history shows there is virtually no opportunity for success for the smaller program creates a very poor player experience. Larger schools often play second or third strings, tryout alternative formations, practice no-huddle drills or other exercises they would never attempt in a competitive game with a similar sized school. These repeated contests leave neither the larger victorious team nor the smaller losing team with a healthy sense of competitive play. The smaller school player however is more likely to sense the futility of the exercise and ask, “Why do we continue doing this?”
Reduced participation is also the result when students of small schools opt to “specialize” in other sports and stay away from football where the opportunity for success is low and the potential for injury is high.
Smaller schools with lower numbers of students simply have fewer athletes to divide between programs. Increasing pressure for athletic scholarships in other sports also influences athletes who are unwilling to place a potential scholarship at risk for an injury in football. This is a growing trend in many of our schools.
The Facts:
• This season no AAA school has succeeded in winning a game over an AAAA opponent. Over two years the AAAA vs. AAA record in the Central league is 42 -6.
• This season through 8 games AAAA teams have outscored AAA teams by 700 points including 7 shutouts.
• Only one AAA school has won the Central League championship in 20 years.
• AAAA schools have missed play-off opportunities as a result of “cross-over” games with AAA schools in the Central league. (At least two Central League AAAA teams missed the play-offs this season for this reason – fewer playoff points are awarded when playing a smaller school.)
What you can do:
Contact your Coach, Athletic Director and Principal and let them know that you support leveling the playing field in the Central League on November 20th by creating divisional play where similar sized schools will be scheduled to play each other throughout the season — it benefits large and small schools. There is a precedent for this in our own area and across the State.
Exceptions can be made for start-up programs or programs that display a performance history that warrants their participation in a different category. This decision leads to more scheduling work for our Athletic Directors; however, the Ches-Mont, Del-Val and Pac 10 leagues have already expressed interest in joining divisional play with the Central League. There are 42 teams geographically adjacent to the Central League already discussing divisional play.
Thank you for your consideration.
Tom Ebersole & Gretchen Andersen
Co-Presidents, RGBC
