Email sent to NCS coaches. But I have friends who are coaches in SoCal that play by other rules. I’ve always been confused about it all.
Dear Athletic Directors and Assistants,
Thank you to all schools who took appropriate steps to protect our student-athletes by making adjustments in this past weekend’s athletic schedules due to the heat wave. Great job!!!
Below are just a few important items that I wanted to review with all NCS member schools. Let me know if you have questions.
Liability and Rules Advisory
Recently Roger Blake, CIF Executive Director, shared a document (attached) concerning CIF rules for out of season practices and competition. As you are aware, CIF and NCS rules do not allow sport specific activities to take place outside the season of sport and during the school year. Frankly, the concerns are more with the sports of baseball and basketball, sports where NCS staff have seen flyers outlining illegal tournament competitions, or fall or winter ball in baseball. The attached advisory reviews CIF rules and includes some question/answers for your review. I would like to expand on the topic of “What is a school team?”.
The Advisory outlines the definition of a school team, but the NCS Office would review additional criteria to determine if a school is in violation of out of season competition:
Definition of School Team
A school team is one that is organized, coached, instructed by individuals associated with the athletic program of the involved school engaged in sport specific activities. Examples of evidence that a school team was engaging in out-of-season activities would include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:
The team is organized, coached or instructed by individuals associated with the school’s athletic program. See CIF 510 for a definition of associated.
The team uses the school colors.
The team uses the school mascot.
The team participates in sport specific activities after the school, coach or individuals associated with the school’s athletic program receive an invitation to participate in out-of-season activities sent to the school or coach or individual associated with the school’s athletic program.
An off-season sport specific activity that uses high school competition level designations such as varsity, JV, Frosh teams.
The activity has a majority of students from the same school participating, or is limited to the students at the school.
The team is identified by the school name.
The invitation is always in the fall and spring, before and after the high school season.
The coach or individuals associated with the school’s athletic program are using school facilities with no arrangement for such facilities based on school and district policy, and differently than other private citizens in the community.
Meetings are organized and/or conducted by the school head coach or another individual associated with the school using school facilities, contact data collected at the school, school equipment, and email/phone/mail services of the school.
Competition which the team engages are other high school programs that are participating in violation of CIF and section rules and regulations.
The school’s head coach or other individuals associated with the school are suggesting that the school student-athletes join a specific outside team.
The outside team roster, coached by a high school coach (not illegal) all of a sudden is changed from a list of some high school members that were truly members of the club team, to a club members that are a majority of potential school team members, an obvious attempt to say the high school team is a club team.
The club program must have a legitimate club season schedule, not just a fall or spring ball season for basketball, or a fall/winter schedule only for baseball.
The club program is registered with the appropriate city and/or county as a legitimate business.
The club program is registered with a national governing body.
The club program conducts tryouts open to the public and the club program can provide rosters that shows individuals who attend multiple schools, and/or can show/prove when tryouts were conducted.
What if your school believes another school is in violation of CIF/NCS rules? Under NCS Constitution Bylaw 217 there are specific steps that must be followed to question the activities of another school, which include a specific time frame for the school to report back, and opportunity for the school originally questioning another school’s activities to appeal to the league or Section.
Be a responsible member of the section and make sure that your school is in compliance!
Understanding Copyright and Compliance
Copyright compliance was a big topic at the NFHS Summer Annual meeting this summer on Rhode Island. I heard two or three workshops on copyright of music by cheer groups and music performers at a school. This is no joke. A school in Southern CA paid a hefty penalty for violation of copyright laws and I believe schools could be in violation. To assist schools the NFHS has released a free online class titled “Understanding Copyright and Compliance” for spirit coaches, music teachers and school administrators. Click on the following link for the course:
https://www.nfhs.org/articles/nfhs-learning-center-launches-free-copyright-and-compliance-course/
Friday night is high school night in football. Most schools believe we must retain and protect high school interests for having a dedicated night for football. As colleges and pro football encroach on the days of the week the NFHS has issued a resolution proclaiming Friday night as our night for football. Click here to read the resolution:
https://www.nfhs.org/articles/nfhs-adopts-resolution-regarding-friday-night-high-school-football/
Sincerely,
Gil Lemmon, Commissioner of Athletics
North Coast Section, CIF
