A House bill that would allow for cross-play between the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) and the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) which has been pushed during numerous legislative sessions received approval from the House Education Policy Committee.
“Cross-play” would allow schools from the AISA to be able to compete against schools from the AHSAA. Alabama and Louisiana are the only two states that do not have the practice in place.
The current situation results in roughly 40 schools from the AISA being forced to frequently travel long distances for just about every game even in the regular season, which supporters of the bill argue that less travel time would mean more time in the classroom.
Supporters also argue that allowing for cross-play would boost economic impact to each area the games are played, enhance competition in the state, nurture talent more effectively across the state, among many other benefits.
Michael McLendon, Executive Director of the AISA, said it was fortunate that the bill has advanced further than it ever has to this point.
“The board of controls for Alabama high schools had decided to not support those continued efforts to work out cross-play between us, which led to the bill making it to the educational policy House committee and fortunately it had a favorable report,” McLendon told Yellowhammer News.
“I think it’s important to note that this legislation also deals with more than just AISA. There are four private school athletic associations that operate in this state and this really impacts all of those and benefits all of them,” he said.
AISA private schools are able to travel across state lines and compete against public schools from other states, but not public AHSAA schools in Alabama.
McLendon noted an example of two schools that had to travel to Tennessee just to play in a tournament to play public schools while on their spring break.
“They can play public schools across state lines, but unfortunately not public schools in our own state.”
He also noted the multiplier and competitive balance as reasons why the AHSAA is more geared toward public schools and why schools in the AISA are not inclined to join the AHSAA.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Troy Stubbs (R-Wetumpka), told the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday the AHSAA is opposed to the bill. HB91 will now move to a full vote of the Alabama House. State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) is also sponsoring the legislation upstairs in the Senate.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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