Chief,
Just to make the speculation concrete, here are the rules straight from the SCHSL on practices in and out of seasons:
DEFINED SPORTS SEASONS
The following terms will be used and will apply to all sports:
IN-SEASON
Begins first day of legal practice and ends with elimination from state play-off competition. Organized
practice is left to the discretion of each school.
OUT-OF-SEASON
Strength and conditioning programs will not be affected by the limitation on practice seasons.
Conditioning programs are not to include agility drills that enhance specific skills for a given sport, nor
may equipment for any sport be used. Agility drills appropriate for all sports will be acceptable.
Practice and weight training must be open to all students. These sessions cannot be mandatory for any
student.
Any student participating in an illegal practice will be declared ineligible for that sport season. Any
school allowing an illegal practice will be subject to League discipline to include the placing of the sport
on probation.
B-6
1. Open-Season/Open Facility (2008-2009 School Year)
a. June 1 - July 25, 2009 for Fall sports. (July 26-29, 2009 is Closed Season)
b. June 1 - July 31, 2009 for Winter and Spring sports.
2. Open-Season/Open Facility (2009-2010 School Year)
a. June 1 - July 24, 2010 for Fall sports. (July 26-31, 2010 is Closed Season)
b. June 1 - July 31, 2010 for Winter and Spring sports
** See note on Page B-6
NOTE: Ten days of school against school competition are permitted
June 1 - July 24, 2010. Participation at team camps and other outside organizations is
included in these 10 days. No school will be permitted to attend or participate in team
camps between July 25, 2010 and In-Season.
School facilities will be open to all students and coaches who may be involved with the planning and
monitoring of activities, including organized practice, during these time periods.
Participation cannot be mandatory for any student.
CLOSED SEASON
Any time except In-Season and the Open Season/Open Facility dates listed above. During closed
seasons, school facilities cannot be used for anything except conditioning and weight training.
OTHER REGULATIONS
a. Activities that take place during the school day are local matters and are not affected by
these regulations. However, any activity involving prospective athletes during the school day
must be open to all students.
b. School facilities may not be used after school hours during closed season by students of a
school except if they are members of an outside team clearly sponsored by an outside
agency. If an outside team uses school facilities during a closed season, no coach
(including volunteer coaches) from that school or its feeder school may be associated with
that outside team. Coaching outside teams during a closed season is permissible provided
school facilities, including those of feeder schools, are not used and the 75% rule is not
violated. (Refer to A-29 for details on the 75% rule.) Beginning March 25, a coach may
coach an outside team and use school facilities.
c. Outdoor facilities normally available to the public will not be restricted by these regulations on
non school days. In other words, if it is the normal practice of the school to allow the general
public to use these facilities on the weekends, there will be no violation if more than three
students are present, provided there is no coach present, and there is no attempt to facilitate
practice.
d. A coach may accompany prospective team members to a camp or clinic during a closed
season, but may not be involved with teaching skills to his or her own players.
e. Organized practice is defined as the gathering of a coach(es) and more than the number of
student-athletes (per sport program) listed on the chart below for the purpose of teaching
sport specific skills. It also includes the use of school facilities by more student-athletes (per
sport program) than those listed on the chart below:
Volleyball (4)
Tennis (3)
Cross County (3)
Golf (3)
Football (8)
Swim (3)
Competitive Cheer (15)
Wrestling (11)
Basketball (3)
Lacrosse-Girls (9)
Lacrosse-Boys (7)
Baseball (7)
Softball (7)
Soccer (8)
Track & Field (3)
Now we come to those magic SCSHL words--"EXCEPT FOR FOOTBALL..."
FOOTBALL
5. Practice Information:
a. A school shall not permit contact practice in pads or otherwise between its last game and
August 4. Pads include padding of any kind on the shoulders, hips or thighs.
NOTE: Schools are permitted 10 days of practice between the last 30 school days and the
first two weeks after the closing of school.
 The first three (3) days of spring practice (and the first three days of fall practice)
will be in helmets only.
 During the first three (3) days of “helmets only” practices, sleds and ground
dummies may be used.
 No hand shields, arm shields, and/or stand up dummies of any kind may be used
during the first three (3) days of spring or fall (pre-season) practice.
 During any practice(s) beyond the first 3 days of spring practice, a coach may
equip his players in any combination of pads that he prefers. (Schools are not
required to be in helmets only or in full pads only; any combination may be used.)
During this time, seven (7) days, the use of all football equipment is permitted.
 If a middle school holds spring practice on the same dates that the high school
holds spring practice, it will count as the same practice for the high school. If the
middle school holds spring practice on dates other than those of the high school,
those dates will count toward the 10 allowed dates for the high school.
 Middle school students may NOT take part in the high school practices, if players
are wearing any equipment other than helmets. If players are equipped with more
than helmets, middle school athletes must hold their practices apart from the high
school. (They could be on the same field, but away from the high school practices.)
 Rising 9th graders, (8th graders), are NOT 9th graders until school is out for the year,
thus they may NOT take part in contact drills of the high school.
 Schools MAY NOT charge admission for a spring practice (game)
So, under SCHSL rules, football may have ten days of off-season practice (Spring) but soccer may not have off-season practice (fall).
Also, in the first section, see:
OTHER REGULATIONS
a. Activities that take place during the school day are local matters and are not affected by
these regulations. However, any activity involving prospective athletes during the school day
must be open to all students.
Which means, the "weightlifting" classes for football (which are open to other athletes to apply for) can be used for fall practice and since they are part of the regular school day are not restricted by SCHSL practice rules.
