Registration rule could keep hundreds of South Jersey girls from playing in soccer league

A registration rule could keep hundreds of South Jersey girls soccer players off the field. Desperate families turned to CBS News Philadelphia after the boys' league quickly found a solution to allow the boys to play.

As of now, the girls are playing this season, but they're waiting on a decision about the spring and beyond.

Lainey Pollard, 13, has been playing with her travel soccer team out of Swedesboro, New Jersey, since she was 7 years old.

Last month, Pollard and hundreds of other families found out their daughters would no longer be allowed to play for teams in the South Jersey Girls Soccer League because of a registration discrepancy involving a new club league called the National 1, or N1 league, which Pollard joined this year.

"I just thought there's no way that could happen," Donna Pollard, Lainey's mom, said.

Countless athletes have played for travel teams in the South Jersey Girls Soccer League (SJGSL) for years while also playing in other club leagues. Now, since N1 hit the scene this year, an issue came up.

Both leagues have the same governing body. U.S. Club Soccer usually doesn't allow athletes to register with two teams within the same governing body, but it makes exceptions for leagues for a variety of reasons. Leagues largely have autonomy as it relates to participation rules.

James Mergenthal, the vice president of the executive board for the boys' league (South Jersey Soccer League), said the rule against what's called "dual carding" is intended to prevent athletes from playing for different teams within the same league.

"We have never prevented kids or players from having a card for a South Jersey club and a player identity card for another club to play in a different league," he said.

Mergenthal, who's also a coach in the girls' league, said the boys' executive board was quickly able to get the issue resolved with U.S. Club Soccer, allowing male athletes to continue playing in both leagues. That's not the case with the girls.

He estimates about 50 girls could be prevented from playing in the South Jersey Girls Soccer League, but hundreds of others could lose their only soccer team because they no longer have enough girls to play.

Claudia Rosa's daughter is one of them.

"She doesn't play for another more competitive team," Rosa said. "I really think she loves the sport, but she loves the connection so much more."

Rosa said her daughter and many others on the Swedesboro team were in tears last month as they learned their team could fold.

After parents and teams petitioned to let the girls continue to play, the South Jersey Girls Soccer League reversed course. The girls were granted eligibility for this fall season only.

The girls' league board members declined to be interviewed for this story, but the board registrar emailed saying the board has not determined whether it will allow girls playing in the N1 League to compete in their league this coming spring.

Even though teams from the SJGSL won't compete against N1 teams, Mergenthal said, "My understanding was they were just concerned that players would just be brought in as ringers for the South Jersey girls' teams."

The South Jersey Girls Soccer League Board Registrar also said in an email, "We are working with U.S. Club Soccer to track usage of N1 players also playing in our league. To ensure player safety and that clubs follow the guidelines set by the league, we will vote on this at a future meeting, after additional data has been received and reviewed."

This issue mainly impacts girls between the ages of 12 and 18.

"It's definitely disheartening and that piece that the boys aren't being held to that same rule is where we're really stuck. We don't understand what's going on," Rosa said.

While SJGSL athletes are playing right now, this decision is hanging over their heads for the spring and for seasons to come.