 Borough President Vito Fossella and Catholic Youth Organization officials unveiled a new set of rules for parents and spectators who disrupt games.
The rules are a response to a spate of spectator altercations during CYO games, most recently a courtside fight between two mothers in the middle of a basketball game in the gym of St. Teresa’s School on Dec. 20. In the following weeks, Borough President Fossella assisted the CYO in reaching a reasonable standard to hold parents and other spectators accountable for unruly behavior at games. The intent is to create a recurring sense of normalcy and good spirits at the games, particularly for the young athletes. Altercations had previously been handled on a case-by-case basis, “but at this point forward, there will be an objective policy.” Under the new rules, spectators who are ejected by a referee for disruptive behavior during a CYO game will now face a one-year ban. If that same individual commits a repeat violation, they will be hit with a lifetime ban. Additionally, any spectator who engages in a physical altercation will also be subject to a lifetime ban, permanently barring them from ever attending another CYO competition. Borough President Fossella said the majority of play is “nothing but a positive experience due to the coaches and the volunteers who step up to make sure young kids have a good time and to learn.” “The mission was about the kids,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference in the CYO Community Center Gym at Mount Loretto. “The mission was about teaching them responsibility. The mission was about them having a good time. The kids are the center of this universe here. And every once in a while, some spectators get out of control and ruins it for the kids and ruins it for everybody else.” He said more than 4,000 student-athletes are on CYO teams, creating lifelong friendships. He called upon the leadership of all youth sports leagues to join the conversation. “We hope this is a way is to put the focus back where it belongs, on young children having a good time, learning a skill, learning a sport,” said Borough President Fossella. Michael Neely, county director for the CYO, said the two individuals involved in the fight in St. Teresa's School have been "indefinitely suspended” from all games going forward. “We strive to do what we can for the kids,” he said. “I think this is a very important message and I appreciate Borough President Fossella’s input on this. He’s been front and center with me for the last couple of weeks, kind of trying to talk me off the ledge a little bit, but it’s pretty upsetting and I really want to publicly thank him and his staff. I also want to thank my staff, too, for helping me through this time.” Comments are closed.
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