FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Alabama homeschoolers finally get their shot on the gridiron

Homeschool students in Alabama are for the first time getting their shot to play middle school and high school football, thanks to a newly-implemented rule change by The Alabama High School Athletic Association.

The issue of homeschoolers not being allowed to play first came to the forefront as the so called “Tebow Bill” worked its way through the Alabama legislature. The bill was named after former football star (and aspiring pro baseball player) Tim Tebow, who was homeschooled but was allowed to play at Nease High School near his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

The Tebow bill appeared on track to pass, compelling the head of the AHSAA to write a letter to lawmakers committing his organization to developing a plan to allow homeschoolers to play without the need for a new law. The 2016-2017 season is the first one since the new rule went into effect.

Although the homeschool students are obviously not full time students at the schools where they are suiting up for athletics, they are required to adhere to certain guidelines.

For example, students can only play at an AHSAA member school that serves the area in which the student’s parents reside. They must also enroll in at least two electives at the school, with the PE coinciding with the student’s chosen sport being the recommended course of action. And they must meet all of the academic requirements of a traditional public school athlete.

The complete AHSAA rules for homeschool athletes can be found here.

Bobby Williams, a homeschool student from Gulf Shores told WALA that he is excited to finally have the opportunity to play.

“I knew a lot of friends here and I was just disappointed that they weren’t giving me that chance to play on their team,” he said.

His dad, Robert, is pleased with the rule change as well.

“It gives us the opportunity now to be equal to what’s going on in Florida,” he said, “where home-schoolers have been very active and have received athletic scholarships to go into colleges.”