By Staff
Athletic Management, 16.5, August/September 2004, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/am/am1605/wusoccerconflicts.htm
The continuing conflict between high school and club team sports included an act of civil disobedience this spring in Illinois. The girls’ soccer team at Chicago’s Kelly High School forfeited a regional final in the state tournament to protest what it believes is the Illinois High School Association’s failure to enforce its rule prohibiting players from competing on club teams during the high school season.
Head Coach and Athletic Director Stan Mietus says the team voted unanimously to forfeit the game because previous formal protests didn’t seem to do any good. He says his players were tired of facing other high school teams made up of players who they had seen play club ball during the scholastic season. In Mietus’ opinion, the rule should either be enforced or scrapped because the current situation pits coaches who follow the rule against those who don’t, while also sending a message to kids that it’s okay to disobey a rule that’s hard to police.
“Our kids do play club ball, but only after the high school season,” says Mietus. “They know once they step on the field for our first practice, their club team days are over until our season ends. If they do play with a club team during our season, they’re off the team immediately.”
Furthermore, Mietus says, the rule forces some kids to choose between two positive things. Some get torn between playing the championship game of their club schedule and joining their school team for preseason practice. Ideally, coaches should be able to work something out, perhaps letting a player take part in the club championship, then joining school workouts a week later—a compromise, just like ones in the real world, he says.
Meanwhile, some in the Illinois soccer community accuse Mietus of grandstanding at his players’ expense. But Mietus insists his protest struck a chord. “We’ve received e-mails from high school players, athletic directors, and coaches across the state, and they agree there is a big issue with club ball,” he says.
Norman Hillner, president of the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association, says the IHSA rule is clear-cut but agrees it’s hard to enforce. “It appears that some high school coaches are looking the other way and hoping not to get caught,” he says. “It seems like an ethical and integrity issue to me.”