PIAA vs. WPIAL: Transfers

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Allowing student-athletes to transfer easily for the purpose of sports is something that I've NEVER supported.  It was always quaint thought to me that public high school teams were mostly made-up of players that grew-up together playing in the same community feeder programs.

I also realize that in today's high school sports world, certain inner-city public school football programs are struggling for reasons aside from their rosters being picked clean by private schools or bigger suburban public schools. Quite honestly, if I had a son playing for a struggling program and he had the grades and the talent to possibly get a college scholarship, I might consider moving to a private school.

The good news is I don't have that situation, but today I read a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Sports Writer Mike White that opened my eyes.  

The story entitled "PIAA foils WPIAL transfer rulings" talks about how the state's governing body (PIAA) has overturned 30 of the last 38 WPIAL rulings against transfers.  That's right, the WPIAL, which is apart of the PIAA, denied transfers for athletic reasons and the state overturned that ruling.

To me, it seems that these two organization need to be on the same page when it comes to transfers. 

I applaud the WPIAL for policing its own, as it appears they have in this article.  

Rules are rules and they should be the same for everyone, especially when we're talking about two organizations in the same state that should be working together.

Click here to read Mike White's story.