Milwaukee City Conference Teams Hit with Forfeits and Playoff Ban
Milwaukee, WI – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA) has informed Milwaukee Bay View and Milwaukee Pulaski that both football teams will forfeit all games in the 2024 season and face a two-year playoff ban. The penalties come after a clerical error regarding the teams’ conference switch was not properly documented, leading to the severe consequences.
On Monday morning, the WIAA issued letters to both schools outlining the reasons for the forfeitures. Bay View’s athletic director, Jay Wojcinski, attributed the error to a mistake made by the city-wide interscholastic athletics commissioner, Bobbie Kelsey. He explained that the necessary paperwork for the conference switch was not submitted as required by the WIAA. “She didn’t fill out the paperwork with the WIAA, so it was never approved for us to move over,” Wojcinski said.
This fall, Bay View competed in the Blackbourn Division of the Milwaukee City Conference after moving up from the Richardson Division, while Pulaski made the opposite switch. Such moves typically require a formal process where all 14 City Conference athletic directors sign off on the change. According to Wojcinski, this process is relatively straightforward, consisting of a simple online form with a “fast track” option for quick approvals. However, he criticized Kelsey for telling athletic directors to refrain from handling the paperwork themselves, leaving the task to her.
As the week progresses, Wojcinski has reached out to the WIAA in hopes of appealing the decision before the playoff brackets are released this weekend. Currently, Bay View holds a 3-3 record in Blackbourn play; they were scheduled to face Milwaukee Vincent on Thursday for their final conference game. Even with a loss, the team might still qualify for the playoffs if the wins remain intact. “We haven’t made the playoffs for eight years, so it’s kind of a big deal for the kids,” Wojcinski added.
In addition to the forfeits for 2024 and the playoff ban, both schools will return to their previous leagues next season. While Pulaski shared the Blackbourn title last year with Milwaukee Washington, Bay View struggled, finishing at the bottom of their conference.
A WIAA media relations director stated they could not comment on the specific punishments facing the two schools but confirmed that games played against non-approved WIAA conference opponents result in forfeits. As of now, the Milwaukee City Conference and Pulaski’s athletic director have not responded to inquiries regarding the situation.
