TSSAA officials have never been required for preseason scrimmages, and that hasn't changed. What has changed: if you choose to use them, every bylaw is now active and enforceable. Read on for details of the policy update, plus joint practice rules and three reminders every AD should act on.
Are TSSAA officials required for preseason scrimmages?
The short answer is no. However, the TSSAA Legislative Council changed policy this year to specify that when TSSAA officials are used, all sportsmanship bylaws remain in effect.
What this means for you: If you are using registered TSSAA officials for a preseason scrimmage, coaches and players are subject to standard ejection penalties, and teams are subject to fines or disciplinary actions for any sportsmanship violations. Previously, this was not enforced for preseason scrimmages.
The Bottom Line: If TSSAA officials are on the field/court, all TSSAA bylaw penalties are active and applicable.
Clarification on Joint Practices: In team sports (volleyball, soccer, football, flag football, baseball, softball, lacrosse, basketball), schools are permitted to practice with other schools without officials during the preseason. These informal, official-free joint practices do not count toward your team's allotted number of preseason scrimmages. In team sports, once the regular season begins, schools can not practice or scrimmage with other schools. For sports that crown an individual champion (golf, tennis, wrestling, cross country, track and field, bowling), schools may continue to practice together during the regular season. This difference in policy is due to the fact that many member schools share facilities or, in the case of wrestling, this is sometimes necessary to ensure athletes can practice with individuals of similar weight.
Important Reminders
1. Check Out the TSSAA Compliance Checklist
For our new athletic directors who may not be familiar with it, the Compliance Checklist can be a big help. It provides a month-by-month breakdown of tasks that can help you ensure your program remains in good standing. This can also be helpful for coaches to review, so that all involved have some awareness of which boxes need to be checked.
2. Eligibility, Transfers, and Hardships
The window for submitting transfer student eligibility and hardship requests is quickly approaching. Hardship and transfer paperwork can be submitted after a student is technically enrolled. In order to be considered enrolled, a student must participate in three or more days of practice after the first official day of practice for their respective sport or attend class three or more days.
3. Update Your Staff in the Portal
Athletic Directors, if you haven't already started updating your 2026-2027 staff in the TSSAA Portal, please do so as soon as possible. This ensures that all individuals are in the system and receiving important, sport-specific updates and messaging directly from the state office.
Sportsmanship for Scrimmages
