Juniors

Protecting Juniors Scholastic Eligibility

Junior athletes and their parents/guardians must be aware of their schools' eligibility requirements. Those requirements are determined by the athletic organization to which their school belongs. For public schools, that is typically a statewide organization, e.g. Ohio's OHSAA.

The number of scholastic players that can play together on a juniors' team is determined by state athletic associations. For Ohio, this is OHSAA, the Ohio High School State Atletic Association, and the authoritative reference for Ohio scholastic eligibility is www.ohsaa.org/Eligibility.

A straightforward summary of OHSAA policy is given by Bill Zehler, OVR Girls' Program Director:

The OHSAA (and other high school athletic associations) regulations for non-interscholastic participation prohibit coaches from instructing more than three athletes from their school in the off-season. A high school coach (Varsity, JV, or Freshman) may not coach more than three athletes that played on their school team during their club season. A middle school coach (7th or 8th grades) may now coach athletes that participated in their middle program.

High school coaches that had no involvement at their middle school program may coach athletes that participated on their middle school teams. Middle school coaches that had no involvement with their high school program may coach athletes from their high school program.

Please direct any questions on policies relating to girls' eligibility to Bill Zehler at zehler@ovr.org, and any questions on policies relating to boys' eligibility to Matt Mihelic at mihelic@0vr.org.

The following list provides links to several prominent athletic organizations along with links to particularly relevant sections of their sites for states from which most OVR athletes originate. Parochial schools, schools belonging to other organizations, and other special cases may have separate requirements, and requirements may also vary by grade level and/or gender. It is the responsibility of athletes, parents, and club directors to understand and comply with their schools' requirements.

Ohio Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)
Ohio High School Boys Volleyball Association (OHSBVA)
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA)
West Virginia West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC)
Indiana Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)
Kentucky Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA)
Michigan Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA)

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