First-Time Transfer and girls flag football proposal formally approved by the IHSAA Board

INDIANAPOLIS — During its annual review of the Member School By-Laws on Monday afternoon, the Board of Directors of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. formally adopted changes to Rule 19 regarding first-time transfers, added Girls Flag Football to its Emerging Sport Process, and a proposal allowing two schools to enter into co-op arrangements failed to receive enough support.
The Board of Directors, led by this year’s President, Larry Cochren of Washington High School and Vice President Jim Brown of Fishers High School, approved 11 proposals, three (3) failed to receive enough support, and two (2) other was tabled during the meeting in Indianapolis.
All proposals are considered in the order that the rule appears within the current bylaws. The Board of Directors has four options on each proposal: affirm, deny, table or amend a rule. A simple majority is necessary to act on any measure, and all approved measures become effective immediately unless otherwise noted.
The Board officially adopted the first-time transfer proposal of Rule 19 (Eligibility and Transfers) that was adopted at the February 21 Executive Committee meeting.
In short:

• Students whose first transfer is from an IHSAA Member School to an IHSAA Member School will maintain full eligibility if it occurs during their first six semesters of high school.
• Second and subsequent transfers and transfers from non-IHSAA Member Schools will be handled in a similar fashion to the way they have been in previous years.
• Students whose second transfer involves a return to the IHSAA Member School where they established their initial promotion eligibility will retain full eligibility within 365 days of their enrollment date at the previous school.
  This new bylaw takes effect on June 1, 2025.

Girls Flag Football added as Emerging Sport, joins Girls Lacrosse
Girls Flag Football was approved by the group by a 17-1 vote to join the IHSAA’s Emerging Sports Process. The sport joins Girls Lacrosse, approved last August, and both will begin the process with the 2025-26 school year.
Girls Flag Football, a fall sport, has strong support and financial backing from the Indianapolis Colts.
The Emerging Sport Process, known as Rule 1-4, helps pave a way for those sports and participation to continue to grow with an eye toward eventually becoming a recognized sport and sponsorship of an official state tournament. Girls Wrestling and Boys Volleyball went through the same process and became fully recognized, and state tournaments sponsored by this school year.
By earning the designation as an emerging sport, the IHSAA will now provide rule books, conduct coaches’ rules meetings, and provide coverage in the IHSAA’s Catastrophic Medical program. Both sports will now be subject to all IHSAA rules and policies, including the General Eligibility Rules.
For a sport to become officially recognized and for an IHSAA state tournament to be sponsored, 50 percent of the membership must be participating in the sport. The IHSAA currently has 409 member schools around the state.

Co-Op Programs
A proposed item submitted by Union High School Principal Ryan Chiddister failed to receive
enough support for passage by a 6-12 count.
It would have been an addition to Rule 9 (Contests), which outlined the conditions under which member schools can form cooperative agreements for team sports, enrollment limits, proximity requirements, and application processes.