GA6, GA7 forms and initial sport roster

Principals and Athletic Directors,

The Board of Directors and the FHSAA in an effort to protect the eligibility of student athletes as well as provide schools instruments to comply with the regulations of the association has developed two new forms to assist member schools.

The association continually hears appeals by schools on behalf of student athletes who have enrolled in schools after having participated with non-school teams affiliated with the school which ultimately end in an ineligibility ruling for the student.  The GA6 Form (Affidavit of Compliance with Policy on Non-School Teams and Off-Season Participation, attached) was designed to assist coaches, or other individuals of the school’s athletic interest, a means of meeting the requirements of the new Policy 22.3.7.  This new policy requires that student athletes be notified in writing of the possible jeopardy of their eligibility by their participation and subsequent enrollment in the school of a coach of a non-school team affiliated with the school.  The use of the form will help to protect the coach and school while putting the decision of such participation in the hands of the student and therein does not necessarily protect the student unless they choose not to participate.  As the fall non-school team season (i.e. fall club and travel leagues) begins we urge those coaches of these teams that are also coaches of any of our member schools to utilize this form.

As the fall FHSAA season begins, we will shortly begin to get reports of the use of ineligible athletes which often times leads to the forfeiture of contests and sometimes entire seasons.  This is often something that could easily have been avoided with a little due diligence on the part of the coach and the athletic staff.  The GA7 Form (Clearance for Participation Form, attached) was designed to be a checks and balances device to clear student athletes before they inadvertently participate in an athletic contest while possibly being ineligible.  The important thing about this form is that the coach must buy into it as it is important that the coach not issue equipment or allow a student practice until a full completed and signed form is presented to them.  The student picks-up the form from the athletic director or coach, completes the top portion of the form, obtains the appropriate signatures from the athletic staff on the bottom portion of the form and returns the form to the coach.  If the bottom of the form is satisfactory and all the appropriate signatures are complete then the student is cleared to participate.  The form is designed so that the logo can be changed to your school logo, you can re-name and add or delete requirements at the bottom of the form to meet the needs of the school or school district.  THIS FORM IS NOT A REQUIRED FORM.  It is meant to assist schools and protect them from possible forfeitures of contests and seasons due to the use of ineligible athletes.  We urge you to use this or a similar instrument.

Finally, Athletic Directors, you are reminded that as per Administrative Procedure 1.9.1, all member schools must submit to the FHSAA online via C2CSchools their initial sport roster of each by the first regular season competition of the sport, many of which will be beginning next week.  Rosters can continue to be added to and deleted from until the date of the last regular season contest.