CIF eliminates penalties for pre-approved contests against club teams

CIF San Diego Section teams who play dual contests against schools from a section or state whose high school governing body does not sanction that sport will no longer be subject to penalties if the CIF San Diego Section office provides prior approval.

A unanimous CIF Board of Managers vote June 3 replaced the CIF bylaw requiring that a dual contest opponent participate in a sport governed and approved by that state association with a stipulation that such dual contests may take place with prior approval from the San Diego Section office.

"This would allow our teams to play those teams provided they give proper documentation," said CIF assistant commissioner John Labeta.

The issue arose when water polo and lacrosse teams played opponents from other states whose governing bodies do not sanction those sports. Those San Diego Section schools were thus in violation of the existing CIF bylaw and were subject to the violation penalty.

"You may not find water polo in Oregon, you may not find lacrosse in Colorado," Labeta said. "They still follow all the section guidelines."

A San Diego Section team can participate in a multi-school tournament or in an invitational with teams which are not sanctioned; the prohibition only applies to dual contests. The CIF bylaw was also amended to require only San Diego Section approval for dual contests with teams from outside the United States; the bylaw previously required approval both from the section and from the state CIF office.

The revised bylaw requires that participants meet the eligibility standards of their respective state and national associations including enrollment at the school, academic eligibility and meeting minimum progress towards high school graduation requirements, amateur status, and maximum age.

Schools whose opponents are not approved will still face penalties including forfeiture of those contests, forfeiture of the allowable number of contests in that sport for the following academic year, and prohibition to play in or to host tournaments in that sport. The penalties to be imposed are at the discretion of the CIF commissioner.