Aliquippa, Pa. (WTAE) – A Pennsylvania youth football team has been banned from the league because of parental behavior.

The Aliquippa Little Quips youth soccer team has been kicked out of their league just days away from the league semifinals.

Beaver County Youth Football League officials said there was a history of parental misconduct, and a recent fight between adults involving a pregnant woman was the final nail in the coffin.

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

Jason Harvey, president of the Aliquippa Youth Football Organization, said the program is critical in keeping youth out of trouble.

“We love our kids, we love our program. The love of soccer in Aliquippa starts young with the Little Quips,” Harvey said. “This is a way to keep them out of harm’s way. I mean, without that, they have nothing, nothing.”

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

A statement 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. A pregnant mother is said to have been assaulted by several Aliquippa spectators.

Center Township Police Chief Eldo Legge said they are working to identify those involved. He said charges are pending against several people.

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

“This was between two stupid parents who went out of their way, and a situation like that caused this snowball effect to happen, to the detriment of our children,” Walker said.

The league’s elimination of the Little Quips occurred four days after the fight and was effective immediately.

The Beaver County Youth Football League said in a statement: “Their removal is not attributable to this one incident, but it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. They had a history of misconduct. Eight people did not vote for him. Eight organizations that have over 150 families have all come forward and said enough is enough.”

The mayor said he was exploring what 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 the parent involved on their team was the victim and was acting in self-defense.

Aliquippa is located about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

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