ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (WTAE) – A Pennsylvania youth soccer team has been banned from its league due to the behavior of its parents.

The Aliquippa Little Quips youth soccer team has been removed from its league, days away from the league semifinals.

Officials with the Beaver County Youth Football League said there is a history of misconduct among parents and a recent fight between adults involving a pregnant woman was the nail in the coffin.

But the Little Quips organization said the children, some as young as 4, should not be punished for the adults’ actions.

Jason Harvey, president of the Aliquippa Youth Football Organization, said the program is instrumental in keeping young people out of trouble.

“We love our kids, we love our program. The love of football in Aliquippa starts young with the Little Quips,” Harvey said. “It’s a way to protect them from danger. I mean, without that, they have nothing, nothing at all.

The team was kicked out of the league by a vote of six to three.

A release from the Beaver County Youth Football League detailed an incident last Saturday following the game between the Central Valley Little Warriors and the Little Quips. It is said that a pregnant mother was attacked by several spectators in Aliquippa.

Center Township Police Chief Eldo Legge said he is working to identify those involved. He said charges were pending against several people.

However, Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker said he tried to break up the fight and only saw one Aliquippa relative involved.

“It was between two stupid parents who lashed out, and a situation like that caused this whole snowball effect, this harm to our children,” Walker said.

The league’s removal of the Little Quips occurred four days after the fight and took effect immediately.

The Beaver County Youth Football League said in a statement: “Their elimination is not attributed to this single incident, but it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. They have a history of bad behavior. Eight people did not reject them. Eight organizations representing more than 150 families have all expressed their opinion and said enough is enough.

The mayor said he was exploring legal options the team might have.

The Beaver County Youth Football League said the opposing team was not disciplined after the fight because they believed their team’s involved parent was the victim and acted in self-defense.

Aliquippa is located about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

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