NJSIAA Executive Committee Passes Tougher Transfer Rule Effective July 1

The transfer epidemic plaguing New Jersey high school athletics may soon be coming to an end.

The NJSIAA Executive Committee on Wednesday approved a proposal that strengthens the transfer rule that will, ideally, discourage athletes from jumping from one school to another on a regular basis.

The new rule, which goes into effect July 1, states that an athlete who transfers before the official start of the season will have to sit 30 days from the start of the regular season or half the team's games, whichever comes first. If the athlete transfers after the first scrimmage or transfers multiple times they will be ineligible for 30 days from the start of the regular season plus the NJSIAA tournament.

The proposal needed a two-thirds majority to pass, and did so with a vote of 25-9.

The biggest change is the elimination of the bona-fide address stipulation. Under the current rule, athletes who provide a verified change of address are eligible immediately. This became a loophole of sorts and allowed families to basically circumvent the transfer rule, thus making it difficult for the NJSIAA to enforce it. The current rule also allows appeals where the new transfer policy will not.

The transfer rule will apply to each sport an athlete participates in and also to athletes on the sub-varsity level.

Editor Bob Badders can be reached at badders@allshoremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Badders. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.