North Allegheny girls slow-pitch softball is now a club sport and the girls are ready to play ball.

Problem is, they don't have anyone to play against.

At its May 28 meeting, the North Allegheny school board gave the sport club status, a designation that puts the teams under the district umbrella but doesn't bind the district to the club financially, as it is to such sports as football and baseball, among others.

Bob Bozzuto, North Allegheny's athletic director, said no other districts that he knows of have given the sport club status, but he hopes they will follow suit.

"A number of districts have it recreationally, and I'm hoping by September they will take the lead and make it a club sport, too," he said. Otherwise, North Allegheny's girls won't have comparable teams to play.

As of now, there isn't a plan in place to deal with that potential problem, Mr. Bozzuto said, adding he prefers to act as if other districts will join North Allegheny and recognize slow-pitch softball as a worthwhile sport.

"On a national level, it's big," Mr. Bozzuto said.

For the past three years, girls slow-pitch softball has been run as a league by several North Hills recreation associations, which operate independently from the district, Mr. Bozzuto said.

Between 50 and 55 girls in grades seven through 12 play their games at Blueberry Hill Park in Franklin Park.

As a club sport, the players get official recognition from the district. The club can ask the board to help pay for things such as coaches' salaries, transportation and uniforms, Mr. Bozzuto said.

In this case, softball organizers did not ask the district for money this year, he said. North Allegheny gives money to other club sports such as the water polo and bowling teams, he added.

Club sports athletes are held to the same districtwide and PIAA eligibility standards as athletes who participate in fully sponsored sports like football and baseball, he added.

"This gives them the opportunity to feel that they belong to the athletic department," Mr. Bozzuto said. "We don't treat them any differently than we treat anyone else."

Mr. Bozutto said he wouldn't have recommended club status for the sport if he didn't believe it had the potential to grow.

"I think it's going to start slow but it'll catch one once it gets going," he said. "It's something that's going to be big."