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Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by EagleEye on November 5, 2025, 7:28 pm

Do you think this will have a chance of passing? Is it possible there are enough players foregoing their HS teams for a club team to garner more/better exposure the IHSA has been forced to address the issue?

https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-high-school-rule-change

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by High School on November 7, 2025, 8:51 pm, in reply to "Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

As a parent, having been through it all, there is nothing that replaces playing for your school with your pals.
My Daughter played D1 and her HS team went deep in division 4 twice, playing for your school is great.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by @High School on November 10, 2025, 7:55 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

My P4, four-year starting daughter, probably remembers more about high school games than college. High School was a family, college was a business. Good times.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by @@High School on November 10, 2025, 8:12 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

I think many travel parents find high school disappointing. They assume that since their kids are playing on a "national" team, they're going to kick ass.

Great travel players are almost always great high school players, but the next level has to compete against great athletes that maybe play a little local travel and they may lose out.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Freedom isn't free on November 7, 2025, 9:44 am, in reply to "Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

It's interesting that IHSA isn't proposing to remove the restriction, just modify it to two non-school competitions per season. I don't see many clubs wanting to take their kids to spring tournaments with players that have only been practicing with their high schools. Think about how most HS coaches would treat players who missed a game or two for a club tournament. Most clubs would probably prefer to just wait and get the whole squad back at one time.

But...

I fear that it's only a matter of time before the best players are playing club year-round and not HS. It's relatively easy for the national programs to take players and get them into tournaments all over the country, and there are plenty of parents who can afford that path (and plenty more who can't, but will).

The top college programs are already putting pressure on recruits to graduate early, even though they begrudgingly acknowledge that there are social-emotional benefits to high school competitions, prom, etc. (Look at the #1 recruit in the 2027 class... she just reclassified as a 2026 to enroll early.)

HS is fun, and competing for a championship is really cool. But from a strictly softball perspective, it's not the best development opportunity for players.

This bill will allow players the "freedom" to play some club tournaments, but in the end it will cost high school sports a lot...

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Heavy D on November 6, 2025, 8:55 am, in reply to "Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

Short answer, it's only going to effect girls soccer and cross country. It will have 0 bearing on any other sports in Illinois.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by RIP on November 6, 2025, 8:27 am, in reply to "Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

Should this pass the only sport that might remain unchanged would be football as there is no club football at the high school level. Basketball, baseball, volleyball, cross country, track and field, gymnastics, soccer and softball all have robust thriving club programs that would siphon away athletes for extended seasons at that point. I would say I’ll be surprised if this passes but in that crooked state nothing is surprising anymore.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Losing Sight of the Goal on November 8, 2025, 9:30 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

The whole point of club softball is to get girls recruited. Spring tournaments that are going on while college softball is also going on isn't going to help most girls towards that goal.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by @Losing Sight on November 10, 2025, 5:50 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

Correct.

But it doesn’t have to be about playing.

Take a spring off to rest, train and develop your game.

Club kids play June through November… take the spring to get ready to perform at your best when the coaches are there!

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by @@Losing on November 10, 2025, 10:35 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

Yes, please take half the year off. Then come and compete in June with players who are playing year round, and tuned up.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by @dRIP on November 7, 2025, 9:35 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

What would be "crooked" about this proposal?

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Crooked on November 8, 2025, 7:08 am, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

For clarification it’s the state that’s crooked, the proposal just opens the door to those that will find a way to line their pockets after.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Read on November 7, 2025, 12:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

He said the state is crooked. Not the proposal.

Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change

Posted by Relax on November 9, 2025, 3:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Playing Club Games During The HS Season Rule Change"

Coming from a pitching family I feel the speration between high school and club sports is healthy.

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