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For decades, the line between club sports and high school sports has been a thick one, with some state associations that govern interscholastic sports barring student-athletes from competing on a club or travel team during the high school season.
New legislation introduced earlier this month in Illinois by State Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr (D-Naperville) — the mother of a youth soccer player — seeks to change the situation in that state. The “Right to Play Act” would eliminate the Illinois High School Association’s rule that restricts young athletes from dual participation on a non-school team. Violation of the IHSA rule could lead to a participant’s season-long suspension from his or her high school team, according to WGNTV.com. The IHSA does allow student-athletes to submit a waiver to request to play in a nationally sanctioned tournament, but those requests reportedly often are denied or ignored.
“We have cross country runners who are running a charity race during the cross country season. IHSA found out and disqualified that runner for the rest of the season,” Yang-Rohr told the Illinois House Education Policy Committee. “We have members of a high school pom squad in Will County. Members of that pom squad went to a dance competition, and IHSA found out and disqualified those dancers for the rest of the season.”
According to Capitol News Illinois:
Libby Magnone, a junior at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein told lawmakers that during her first two years of high school she was prohibited under IHSA rules from playing soccer at her school because she also played in the Girls Academy League, a program that sponsors tournaments that are eyed closely by college recruiters.
“The best soccer players across the state have to choose between having to forgo showcasing their talents to college coaches that recruit from these tournaments, or sitting out their high school season,” she said. “Issues like these disproportionately affect girls and young women because unlike football or basketball, college coaches and scouts rarely go to high school events.”
Not surprisingly, the IHSA is not a fan of the proposed bill.
“Despite what its name would indicate, [the Right to Play Act] will ultimately limit overall high school athletic participation opportunities, if not eliminate them altogether in certain sports, while also increasing the chance of overuse injuries,” the association explained in a statement. “The mission of the Illinois High School Association, and education-based athletics as a whole, centers around the character development of young people while representing their schools and communities. IHSA state championships are a tangible result that very few individuals and teams will experience, however, hundreds of thousands of Illinois high school students annually experience the mentorship, community, and academic responsibility that are the foundations of interscholastic participation. Travel sports have their merits, but their end goal is very different.”
IHSA officials added that the bill “could result in a proliferation of travel and other for-profit athletic tournaments being held during the traditional high school seasons. Athletes will be left to choose, which will result in less participation and the inability for some schools to field high school teams in some sports.”
Craig Anderson, executive director of the IHSA, even went so far as to predict that passage of the Right to Play Act would be “devastating” for high school sports in Illinois.
“If it were to pass, for-profit travel sports would quickly become a year-round business, essentially limiting sports participation only to those who can afford it,” he said in the statement. “Some will opine that one athlete leaving for a travel team will create an opportunity for another student-athlete to take their place on a high school team, but I would caution anyone with that mentality to study high school participation and enrollment trends in Illinois. The trickle-down from collegiate NIL is already impacting high school sports participation, as student-athletes are more likely to specialize in one sport in hopes of increasing their odds of playing at the collegiate level.”
In an article published on the National Federation of State High School Associations’ website in February, Kevin Ozee, chief of interscholastic activities for the Burleson (Texas) Independent School District, acknowledged that dual participation “presents unique challenges” for students, parents and coaches.
“Many school athletic administrators and coaches with years of experience hold a negative view of club sports,” Ozee wrote. “That being said, there are many families whose children were in their early teenage years and play both club and school sports. While school coaches and athletic administrators may not necessarily like having to navigate their student-athletes’ concurrent participation in both school and club sports, it should be noted that there are benefits of club sports. Because of these benefits, school administrators and coaches need to embrace concurrent participation in the best interest of student-athletes.”
Those benefits, he notes, include advanced skills development, increased competition, and networking and recruitment. The challenges of dual participation, however, “require careful management by all stakeholders,” he cautions. Among those challenges are the time constraints placed on student-athletes, physical strain and injuries, and conflicting schedules.
The key, Ozee argues, is for high schools and club organizations to support participants by fostering collaboration — rather than competition.
“Concurrent participation in club and high school sports offers a unique opportunity for student-athletes to develop as competitors and individuals,” he concludes. “While the challenges are undeniable, with the right strategies and support systems, these athletes can achieve remarkable success. By fostering collaboration, prioritizing health and emphasizing holistic development, stakeholders can ensure that dual participation remains a rewarding and sustainable endeavor for all involved.”
The Illinois Right to Play Act unanimously passed out of the state’s Education Policy Committee and was sent to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
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