Philly Archbishop Changes his Mind: Girls CAN Play Football

Today the Philadelphia Archdiocese decided it had reversed its decision to ban girls from playing football in CYO leagues. Benefitting, along with any girl who wishes to play football, is of course Carolina Pla, the 11-year-old Bucks County girl whose story started this all.

The archdiocese says the decision was made after an “evaluation by coaches, parents, students and medical experts.” A panel last month, which voted against co-ed CYO football, did not appear to feature students, parents of players, medical, or legal experts, according to a report in Forbes. The Archdiocese’s Director of Communications Kenneth Galvin tells me the decision was made after additional counsel was sought outside the panel, which may explain the change of heart. “In additional to the panel and other consultation sources, other feedback was considered that came in from the general public,” Galvin wrote in an email. [Newsworks]

Clarification: This post originally suggested the Archdiocese hosted two panels; it only hosted one, last month.