'We wanted more balance' - Wellington explains ISSA rule change

Keith Wellington, vice-president of the Inter Secondary Sports Association (ISSA), said there was a unanimous vote by the organisation's members to change the rules, that govern the transfer of student-athletes in high school.

On Wednesday, members of ISSA were invited to a meeting to vote for a change of the transfer rules and according to Wellington, all the members who were present voted for the change, including those who used to old rules to bolster their sports programmes.

"All the pros and cons were taken into consideration, and the decision taken was what was viewed as being in the best interest of the student-athletes. The changes were supported unanimously by all the schools present at the meeting to which all members' school were invited," Wellington stated.

The amendments to the rules state that schools will have a limit (a quota) placed on the number of transferred students that will be allowed to be registered for various ISSA run competitions.

In a release, ISSA said that the rule will be applicable to all students, including sixth formers.

For cricket, football, and hockey, three players will be allowed to transfer from one school to another in that same corresponding sport.

Netball, volleyball, and basketball will be limited to two transfers, while track and field will be allowed two transfers per class.

Numerous complaints

Wellington said the need for a change of the rules came after ISSA received numerous complaints that schools with small sports programmes felt like they were being robbed by schools with bigger programmes.

"The reason for the rule change is based on the investment some schools have made in many of their students, who are then transferred from their schools to other schools specifically because of their sporting talents. And they feel as if they are creating an imbalance in our competitions because schools are able to create super-teams and, therefore, it creates an imbalance, and the competitions are becoming unattractive because of the one-sided nature of the competition," Wellington explained.