WIAA ‘Relaxes’ HS Athlete Transfer Rules–Pandora’s Box? (Opinion)

Perhaps it is showing my age, but for decades, I recall athletes who transferred from one school to another in NCAA Sports and WA HS athletics had to sit out a year. Now, the WIAA has tweaked that rule. When I played in HS and NCAA D-III football at Whitworth University, we had the sit-out one-year rule.

   WIAA allows a modified transfer policy

Monday, the WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) voted to allow students to transfer from one school to another and still play the following season, with a few tweaks. Previously, the only 'guaranteed' transfer permissions were if an athlete's home residence changed, and you had to show ample proof of that.

Following a lengthy study and investigation period by a 22-person panel, the WIAA voted to allow transfers. The rules require:

1.  The athlete must establish initial eligibility at a school at the beginning of their 9th grade or freshman year. They must play 9th grade at that school.
2.  Then the athlete may transfer one time during the next four years.
3.   The transfer window must be during the period between school years, for example, after freshman and before sophomore, or after sophomore before junior, or even after junior before senior year. The WIAA calls it the "natural break" between school years.
4. If an athlete transfers they must miss 40 percent of the varsity contests in their sport(s) the following season. For example, if a football team plays ten games, the transfer can only play in six of them.

If an athlete transfers during the school year, or utilizes a hardship request and it is denied, the previous sit-out one-year rules will be implemented.  Some examples of hardship include personal issues such as bullying or other situations that make it difficult for the student to attend school and advance in a reasonable manner.

Supporters say it provides more opportunities for competition and advancement, but opponents say it will result in less successful or even smaller HS programs losing players, much like the NCAA transfer portal.

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The WIAA says the new model is nothing like the NCAA policy, which allows students to transfer from one school to another and play right away.

For decades, both WA HS and the NCAA had rules that if you transfer for ANY reason, you had to sit out one year of competition. This prevented widespread team-hopping. But that's not the case now.

There are already concerns about some programs not being able to field a team in certain sports in future seasons due to this rule.

It may not be the NCAA transfer portal, but it, in my opinion, has opened Pandora's Box and is headed that way.  If you're a good enough athlete even in a poor program, college recruiters will find you and an athlete can still advance onward. But this rule will be used big time for good athletes to transfer into better programs, leaving lesser teams without the depth or talent they need to even complete.