Approximately 220 new sports teams, from cross-country track to tennis and volleyball, will be added to the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) beginning September 9, the city announced Wednesday, serving an additional 3,000 high school students. 

School reform efforts over the past decade led to a surge in small new high schools. But many teachers and students complained they were shut out of the big league, PSAL, because the small schools were often placed in elementary and middle schools or even office buildings that didn’t have sports facilities. 

The city was also found in violation of the federal law Title IX by not providing enough sports opportunities for girls.

The Department of Education said nearly 70 percent of new teams will be in the Small Schools Athletic League (SSAL), a division of the PSAL, and around 70 percent of all new teams will be girls’ teams. The agency said it plans to add nearly 500 new teams over the coming years and, by the 2019-2020 school year, expects to have full parity between male and female athletic participation and opportunities.

Eric Goldstein, the chief executive officer for school support services, said the city is aggressively playing catch-up. “We've worked over the last several years very, very hard to make sure that we have all the opportunities afforded to all of our students whether they go to small schools, whether they're boys, whether they're girls," he said.

Some small schools have had extra hurdles in getting funding for teams because they serve students over the age of 18.

In the Bronx, International Community High School lost its baseball team last year, which won the Small Schools Athletic League title two years in a row, because it chose to apply through a program for over-age students, and didn't qualify for baseball.

The school's dean, David Garcia-Rosen, a founder of the Small Schools Athletic League, was suspended for allegedly organizing a student protest at the City Council. He and the students claimed black and Hispanic pupils were disproportionately hurt by the lack of teams in small schools.

International Community will get a baseball team this coming year through the Multiple Pathways League, which is for students who are over-age, as well as English Language Learners. Goldstein said the city prefers to keep these students in a separate league to avoid having 14-year-olds play against 20-year-olds, though schools can still organize games against other outside the Multiple Pathways League.

Garcia-Rosen, who is still suspended, praised the city for investing money in school sports, but said there should be some kind of community-based high school league for students to play sports not offered at their schools.

The total PSAL budget was increased by 14 percent – to $32.4 million from $28.4 million – to fund the expansion. The City Council added $1 million specifically for the small schools.