As we start the regular seasons, we are mindful of the fact that a number of your students are cranking up seasons on independent teams. As a result we often get the following question:
Can my coaches coach an independent/club team outside of the school season?
It depends.
The TSSAA Bylaws do not explicitly restrict a school representative from coaching an independent or club team. However, the bylaws govern when school personnel may coach or instruct student-athletes from their own school. Whether a coach may coach an independent team depends on the TSSAA Sports Calendar and the composition of the team's roster.
If your school team is currently not permitted to practice under the TSSAA Sports Calendar, school personnel can not coach an independent team that includes student-athletes from their school.
THE EXCEPTION: Coaching Your Own Child
School personnel may coach an independent team outside of the allowed TSSAA practice calendar if the coach's own child is a player on the independent team and that child is the only student from the coach's school on that team's roster.
Article IV Section 8 of the TSSAA Bylaws states the following:
In both divisions (middle school and high school), all coaches and employees of a school are subject to the TSSAA Sports Calendar guidelines when working with students from their school. During times when the Sports Calendar does not permit a coach to work with students from their school, a coach or other school employee may instruct their own children at any time, provided no other students from the school are present.
