IHSAA adopts new transfer rules; votes down proposal for co-op teams

During its annual review of the Member School By-Laws on Monday afternoon, the Board of Directors of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. formally adopted changes to Rule 19 regarding first-time transfers.

The Board of Directors, led by this year’s President Larry Cochren of Washington High School and Vice President Jim Brown of Fishers High School, approved 11 proposals, three failed to receive enough support, and two others were tabled during the meeting in Indianapolis.

The Board officially adopted the first-time transfer proposal of Rule 19 (Eligibility and Transfers) that was adopted at the February 21 Executive Committee meeting. In short:

• Students whose first transfer is from IHSAA Member School to IHSAA Member School will maintain full eligibility if it occurs during their first six semesters of high school.

• Second and subsequent transfers and transfers from non-IHSAA Member Schools will be handled in a similar fashion to the way they have been in previous years.

• Students whose second transfer involves a return to the IHSAA Member School where they established their initial promotion eligibility will retain full eligibility within 365 days of their enrollment date at the previous school.

This new by-law takes effect on June 1, 2025.

In other news, a proposed item submitted by Union High School Principal Ryan Chiddister failed to receive enough support for passage by a 6-12 count. It would have been an addition to Rule 9 which outlined the conditions under which member schools can form cooperative agreements for team sports, enrollment limits, proximity requirements, and application processes.

Co-op sports teams have long been utilized in Illinois and several other states.

The IHSAA Board did approve another sport into the Emerging Sports Process. Girls flag football was approved by the group by a 17-1 vote. The sport joins girls lacrosse, approved last August, and both will begin the process with the 2025-26 school year.

Girls Flag Football, a fall sport, has strong support and financial backing of the Indianapolis Colts.

The Emerging Sport Process, known as Rule 1-4, helps pave a way for those sports and participation to continue to grow with an eye toward eventually becoming a recognized sport and sponsorship of an official state tournament. Girls wrestling and boys volleyball went through the same process and became fully recognized and state tournaments sponsored this school year.

By earning the designation as an emerging sport, the IHSAA will now provide rule books, conduct coaches rules meetings, and provide coverage in the IHSAA’s Catastrophic Medical program. Both sports will now be subject to all IHSAA rules and policies, including the General Eligibility Rules. For a sport to become officially recognized and an IHSAA state tournament be sponsored, 50 percent of the membership must be participating in the sport. The IHSAA currently has 409 member schools around the state.