Proposal to Curb Transfers Sparks Discussion

A California Interscholastic Federation proposal that aims to curb the rise in transfers for athletic purposes received a chilly reception Friday at a state federated council meeting in Ontario and may require an overhaul before reaching a vote next year.

The proposal, presented by CIF attorney Andrew Patterson, sparked a volley of questions and had to be removed from the agenda so the council could conclude its business in a timely fashion. Discussion on the proposal is to continue this morning.

The proposal would require school officials to certify that no one connected with schools’ booster clubs or athletic departments had contact with prospective transfers about athletic teams.

In addition to curtailing transfers for athletic purposes, the measure aims to allow school officials to scrutinize the role of intermediaries in transfers involving foreign athletes.

But a number of concerns have been raised about the proposal, including: enforcement, especially in cases involving athletes transferring from foreign countries; misinterpretation of the proposal’s wording; and how to handle contact between a player at one school and another player at a second school.

“I think the council believes there is some more work to be done,” said Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton, a member of the risk management committee that submitted the proposal, which is intended in part to protect the CIF from litigation. “[But] it’s a proposal whose time has come because of the influx of transfers.”

The proposal won’t face a vote until February or May 2002. If passed, it would be enacted on a two-year trial basis beginning with the 2002-03 school year.