TAIAO Sample Transfer Situations

At the recent 2024 Annual Meeting, there was some confusion regarding a question on athletes transferring from charter schools that did not offer sports to TAIAO organizations to play sports.  TAIAO allows this so long as the impetus is for parents to find a place for their kids to play sports and not as a recruiting pipeline for a TAIAO organization.

TAIAO does not want any of it’s members to cut deals with other organizations to provide them alone with athletes.  TAIAO rules are written to empower parent’s to determine what is best for their kids.

Here are a few examples of transfers that take place within TAIAO and how TAIAO has treated them through March of 2024.

• TAIAO member organization A has a rising freshman transferring from TAIAO member organization B.  

There is no need for a transfer form because the athlete was not in high school the previous year so a transfer form is not needed.

• A TAIAO member organization has an athlete that is 15 years old transferring from a non-TAIAO organization that had been classified the previous year as an 8th grader.  

A transfer form is not needed.  However, there will need to be a request to have the athlete play down as a freshman because by rule the athlete will be classified as a Sophomore.

• A TAIAO member organization has an athlete that is a member of a non-TAIAO organization that does not have sports or the sport offered by the TAIAO member organization. 

A transfer form is required if the athlete is transferring to compete in high school athletics.  The transfer form will be approved with the non-member organization’s approval required.  If the non-member organization is a TAPPS school then the transfer will be declined pending an approval from TAPPS.

• A TAIAO member organization creates a working relationship with a non-TAIAO organization that does not have sports or the sport offered by the TAIAO member organization to allow the non-member athletes to play within TAIAO. 

A transfer form is required and will be denied on the basis that the arrangement is in violation of the rules not to recruit athletes from other organizations.  The TAIAO organization may also be reprimanded for violation of recruiting rules.

• TAIAO member organization A has a student request to transfer to TAIAO member organization B where both organizations offer the same sport.

A transfer form would be needed and would be denied unless both organizations agreed to the transfer AND the reason for the transfer was for non-athletic reasons.  If the purpose of the transfer is for athletic reasons, then it would need to be a full transfer and both organizations would need to agree or the transfer would be denied.