Leading off today: "I told you so."
Be prepared to hear that phrase this autumn around the New York City soccer scene as the PSAL tries to execute its move of the girls season from the spring to the fall by shifting some games to weekends beginning this month.
It may be the right thing to do from a fairness (and legal) point of view, but it still has "epic fail" written all over it, which is what vocal critics have contended since the moment the PSAL headed off a Title IX complaint by making the change.
"There is going to be low attendance at games because of babysitting, jobs, family obligations, church,” No. 1 critic Bob Sprance, the Forest Hills girls coach, told The New York Post.
Sprance says at least one of his players is unavailable on Sundays because of religious obligations, and there are also conflicts with SAT preparation and extracurricular activities on Saturday.
There will also be weekend travel involved to sometimes-distant neutral fields for games beginning as early as 9 a.m. to accommodate double- and tripleheaders. That has "multiple forfeits" written all over it.
The first fallout from the season change came when a number of coaches who previously held both positions had to choose between running their schools' boys or girls programs. The proverbial other shoe will drop if weather or other factors cause too many games to be rescheduled; assuming fields are found, there might not be enough officials available because refs are already spread thin across the PSAL, CHSAA and colleges.
Referee assigner Alan Wharton told the paper he has all
