The city of Hoover says it has invited both youth teams to be recognized at a city council meeting tonight following a controversy over a game in a recreational youth league.

The city, in a statement released Monday, also said its parks and recreation department is reviewing its youth athletic league policies “to ensure that all competition and recognition procedures are fair to all participants and that those procedures are more clearly understood.”

According to parents, a group of fifth grade Hoover girls which played a boys’ team in a recreational youth league were not recognized as champions despite winning the league title, when the trophy was instead awarded to the boys who lost the game.

In a Facebook post, Jayme Mashayekh, whose daughter was on the winning team, said the girls were told before the title game that they could play in the championship “but if they won they wouldn’t be allowed to have the trophy.”

“Excuse me? What?” What did they do to get disqualified? Did they not pay their dues? Did they not play up a level in competition? Oh, it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!” Mashayekh wrote.

The girls, who played in a competitive girls’ league for three years representing Spain Park, were told they could not continue to use Hoover gyms for their practices unless they joined the city’s youth recreational league and play with boys.

According to a parent, the girls were told before the title game that they could play in the championship “but if they won they wouldn’t be allowed to have the trophy.”

In response, the city said its parks and recreation department “for many years” has allowed “elite” teams to participate in tournaments. The teams are not sought out by department, but come to ask to participate. Those teams are selected based on skill and not similar to regular league teams.

Because of this, according to the city, teams must willingly agree to compete above their grade range.

“If an “elite” team participates in an HPRD youth tournament, and makes it to the championship round, the rules state that they cannot receive a trophy as a result of that win,” the statement reads.

Coaches are also made aware of this. “Only the team that is grade-appropriate has ever been eligible to be recognized as the tournament champions,” the city stated.

This has applied to both boys and girls teams, the city stated.

In the recent tournament, another boys team won a championship game, but were not named champions because they were competing outside their grade group.

“This team included the son of a City of Hoover elected official,” the city stated. “This clearly indicates that the same rules applied to all teams regardless of gender.”