CIF to vote on rule change that could affect soccer

On May 7, the California Interscholastic Federation will vote on a bylaw change, more specifically Bylaw 600.C, that could affect high school soccer players statewide.

According to Bylaw 600.C "In the sport of soccer, Bylaw 600 shall be in effect only during the winter high school soccer season. High school soccer programs that compete during the fall or spring season are not subject to Bylaw 600." This is the clause of the bylaw the Federated Council is looking at removing.

The rationale behind changing the bylaw was explained in a letter from the Commissioner's Committee. According to this letter, the North Coast Section Board of Managers requested Bylaw 600.C be deleted. The letter goes on to say that because club soccer programs operate during the winter season of high school sports and conflicts with other sports, it takes student-athletes away from "established winter programs."

"It is the BAC's understanding that the agreement between CIF and the Club Soccer Association is that they would shut down during the winter season. They have ignored their agreement," the letter said.

Concerns over students overextending themselves and playing too many soccer games per week, as many as 12, while practicing 2-3 days per week after a school practice is leading to injuries, according to the letter.

In an article by the "CIF Watchdog," they sum up their feelings about the situation - "California's club soccer programs - specifically girls and boys U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 teams - are about to get kicked to the curb by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). It seems CIF has had it with players doing double duty on high school and club teams during soccer season. They want to end this practice and force kids into playing for their high school teams only during soccer season."

In the opinion of the CIF Watchdog, club soccer isn't a small entity and many clubs "are considered to offer a higher quality program than most high school programs."

The CIF Watchdog is encouraging parents to contact their local commissioner to petition this bylaw change. To view the letter that states the reason for the proposed bylaw change go to http://cifwatchdog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/cif-bylaw-600-revision-outside-competitio-soccer-description.pdf and to view the revised bylaw go to http://cifwatchdog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/cif-bylaw-600-revision-outside-competitio-soccer.pdf.

For more information about this issue, you can contact Elizabeth Kyle, the local CIF Commissioner, at (530) 528-9300.