eligibility for HS while playing TB

I'm finding out the hard way that in Indiana there is a rule that no more than 5 players from the same HS can play on the same TB team or at least within the same game. Including incoming freshmen who haven't even tried out yet, because we play SB in the spring. I know that during the HS season its no contact with the HS kids, but now its limited to only 5 during the school year if a TB coach is going to stay together and play fall leagues or indoor winter tournaments.

Illinois has a similar rule.

How is it enforced? Let's say there's a travel team with 8 girls from the same high school. Who is ineligible? Everybody from that team? Just three of them? Which three?

If they were caught I think all 8 would be declared ineligible for the next HS softball season, that is just a guess,

My DD is in MS, as far as I can tell no one cares what she does.

Edit:

It is actually setup pretty nice. SB Monday – Thursday, either a game or practice. Friday – Sunday off. I don’t know what the coach would think but it would be easy to play for another Team on the weekends. Heck she could make games M - T too. Even on game days she is home by 6:00.

CoogansBluff said:

How is it enforced? Let's say there's a travel team with 8 girls from the same high school. Who is ineligible? Everybody from that team? Just three of them? Which three?

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Tennessee has the same rule. All 8 players would have been ruled ineligible for the upcoming season.

CycloneSoftball22 said:

Tennessee has the same rule. All 8 players would have been ruled ineligible for the upcoming season.

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Interesting. I do understand why the rule exists. The high school association obviously wants to prevent a high school team from playing together year-round.

But I wonder if it would stand up to a legal challenge. Let's say there's a 14U travel team with 4 girls who are entering the 9th grade at the same high school. Let's say a 5th player on that team decides to move into the school district that summer. On what legal basis can a high school association prevent those 5 girls from participating in a high school sport?

I know a lot of you will say that the high school association can make whatever rules it wants, but from my experience, it depends on the risk of being sued or brought to court. In Georgia, rules have been added or subtracted to keep the high school association out of court or to prevent the legislature from intervening. So my guess is that in states such as Tennessee and Indiana and Illinois that the rule isn't controversial enough to provoke that sort of intervention.

It just takes 1 father/mother who is a lawyer, they probably fold and keep it quiet.

James Smith said:

It just takes 1 father/mother who is a lawyer, they probably fold and keep it quiet.

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Usually these things come to light because the offense is reported by another school. So , keeping it quiet wouldn't be real easy since another school already knows.

CoogansBluff said:

Interesting. I do understand why the rule exists. The high school association obviously wants to prevent a high school team from playing together year-round.

But I wonder if it would stand up to a legal challenge. Let's say there's a 14U travel team with 4 girls who are entering the 9th grade at the same high school. Let's say a 5th player on that team decides to move into the school district that summer. On what legal basis can a high school association prevent those 5 girls from participating in a high school sport?

I know a lot of you will say that the high school association can make whatever rules it wants, but from my experience, it depends on the risk of being sued or brought to court. In Georgia, rules have been added or subtracted to keep the high school out of court or to prevent the legislature from intervening. So my guess is that in states such as Tennessee and Indiana and Illinois that the rule isn't controversial enough to provoke that sort of intervention.

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Sure they can be on the school team, but if that/those ineligible players "play" in a game, the contest is forfieted. So any school that is going to be making a playoff run makes double sure no violations occur. What could they sue over? The coach not playing their kid?

If an ineligible contestant competes in a meet, match or tournament and any violation of TSSAA rules occurs, all points earned by that student, or by a relay team of which he/she may have been a member, in that meet or tournament are to be declared forfeited; and in team sports (baseball, basketball, football, girls soccer, soccer, girls softball and girls volleyball) the entire contest is forfeited.
When a team plays an ineligible athlete in TSSAA tournaments or playoffs, the entire contest is forfeited, the team is removed from the tournament or playoff, and no team replaces that team in the tournament series.
The penalty for playing an ineligible contestant shall be $50.00 per contest at the varsity level and $25.00 per contest below the varsity level, with a maximum fine of $250.00, provided it is voluntarily reported by the school, which is in violation, to the Executive Director. If it is not voluntarily reported by the school to the Executive Director, the penalty shall be $100.00 per contest at the varsity level and $50.00 per contest below the varsity level. Other non-monetary penalties may be assessed by the Executive Director based on all the facts.

GOINGDEEP said:

Sure they can be on the school team, but if that/those ineligible players "play" in a game, the contest is forfieted. So any school that is going to be making a playoff run makes double sure no violations occur. What could they sue over? The coach not playing their kid?

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I don't think ''sure you can play but you're just not eligible'' would be much of a defense. Bottom line is that students are being banned from eligibility for participating in legal activities outside of school. How can a high school association defend that rule legally? It would be different if the school or the school coach was organizing the club team. I can see banning your coaches from coaching their school players outside of school. But I don't see how you can make someone ineligible for participating on a team that has nothing to do with the school.