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Mar. 27—Pennsylvania's largest youth football league got a little smaller this week, as five Westmoreland County teams opted to leave and form a league of their own in the wake of a police investigation.
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League, in which the Westmoreland teams had been playing, is under scrutiny over the disappearance of money from the league's bank account.
Youth football groups from Derry Area, Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland sent a letter notifying parents that they opted to form the Keystone Foothills Football League. The groups are named for local school districts, but are not officially affiliated with them.
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League, which included 44 organizations and 140 teams across seven counties, is under investigation by the Greene County Regional Police, according to Chief William DeForte. He said his department was approached by concerned parents and league members regarding money missing from the league's bank account, which is funded through revenue from each team's gate fees.
DeForte did not say how much money is purportedly missing.
In the wake of the investigation, the league's longtime president, William Spencer, resigned in early March without any apparent explanation, apart from a short letter to the league.
The ordeal left several youth football parents concerned.
"We were asked to go down to Washington County for a (follow-up) league meeting where we were given some information about the funds situation and tentative budgets for the upcoming year," said Rebecca Salandro, president for Greater Latrobe Youth Football's executive board. "I think we just didn't feel comfortable sticking with the WPYFL. There was a lot of uncertainty among the five schools that decided to form this new league."
Salandro said her primary concern was ensuring that her teams and cheerleaders will have a football season.
Sarah Reeping, president for Derry Area's youth football program, agreed.
"The WPYFL told us they've created a new board, and this has nothing to do with those new board members," Salandro said. "But we were concerned from a parent standpoint about what things would look like moving forward."
Reeping said Derry's executive board met and opted to strike out on their own with the Keystone Foothills League.
"We think this is a good step moving forward," she said.
Both Salandro and Reeping said they are looking forward to the shorter drive time for games, in a league with only five teams contained within the county.
"We're hoping that will allow some more family involvement," Salandro said. "Grandparents don't want to drive an hour-and-a-half to a youth football game. But they're happy to drive 20 minutes down the road."
From a financial standpoint, the teams in the new Keystone Foothills league will see additional revenue in their coffers. Gate fees for WPYFL games were sent to the league to help fund playoff games and other expenses, and may be among the funds that went missing. Those gate fees will now stay with their respective teams.
"We still have some things to determine, like what the standard gate fee will be for all the teams, but I see this as a significant win for all of us," Salandro said.
WPYFL officials and Spencer could not be reached for comment, and their website does not include any contact information.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at [email protected].
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The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League, in which the Westmoreland teams had been playing, is under scrutiny over the disappearance of money from the league's bank account.
Youth football groups from Derry Area, Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland sent a letter notifying parents that they opted to form the Keystone Foothills Football League. The groups are named for local school districts, but are not officially affiliated with them.
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League, which included 44 organizations and 140 teams across seven counties, is under investigation by the Greene County Regional Police, according to Chief William DeForte. He said his department was approached by concerned parents and league members regarding money missing from the league's bank account, which is funded through revenue from each team's gate fees.
DeForte did not say how much money is purportedly missing.
In the wake of the investigation, the league's longtime president, William Spencer, resigned in early March without any apparent explanation, apart from a short letter to the league.
The ordeal left several youth football parents concerned.
"We were asked to go down to Washington County for a (follow-up) league meeting where we were given some information about the funds situation and tentative budgets for the upcoming year," said Rebecca Salandro, president for Greater Latrobe Youth Football's executive board. "I think we just didn't feel comfortable sticking with the WPYFL. There was a lot of uncertainty among the five schools that decided to form this new league."
Salandro said her primary concern was ensuring that her teams and cheerleaders will have a football season.
Sarah Reeping, president for Derry Area's youth football program, agreed.
"The WPYFL told us they've created a new board, and this has nothing to do with those new board members," Salandro said. "But we were concerned from a parent standpoint about what things would look like moving forward."
Reeping said Derry's executive board met and opted to strike out on their own with the Keystone Foothills League.
"We think this is a good step moving forward," she said.
Both Salandro and Reeping said they are looking forward to the shorter drive time for games, in a league with only five teams contained within the county.
"We're hoping that will allow some more family involvement," Salandro said. "Grandparents don't want to drive an hour-and-a-half to a youth football game. But they're happy to drive 20 minutes down the road."
From a financial standpoint, the teams in the new Keystone Foothills league will see additional revenue in their coffers. Gate fees for WPYFL games were sent to the league to help fund playoff games and other expenses, and may be among the funds that went missing. Those gate fees will now stay with their respective teams.
"We still have some things to determine, like what the standard gate fee will be for all the teams, but I see this as a significant win for all of us," Salandro said.
WPYFL officials and Spencer could not be reached for comment, and their website does not include any contact information.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at [email protected].
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