I have a question about this part of the rule " practice together", does that mean that if club A fields 3 teams in say the 02 age group and there are 5 players from high school A on each team, if all three club teams practice at the same location and same time, high school A is in violation of the OHSAA rule?
In a word, YES.
The entire purpose of this rule -- that spans across all sports -- dates back to a prior era. The rule has never been changed to reflect the reality of 2018-19.
Prior to the existence of the "half team" rule, some coaches would basically attempt to keep their high school teams practicing/playing all year round. If you wanted to play basketball for Great Basketball Team High School, you pretty much had to give up all other sports in order to be able to continue to be able to compete and remain in the GBTHS basketball program! I know, hard to believe ;-).
Over time, in an effort to ensure that players were not forced to be "one sport wonders" at a particular school, the OHSAA created a series of rules including:
1. The "half team" rule (no more than 50% of the number of players on the court/field during a "game" could play/practice as a unit outside of the official OHSAA Scholastic Season.
2. The OHSAA Scholastic Seasons were specifically defined in great detail.
3. Scholastic Coaches were only allowed to play/practice above the "half team" number for a given number of days (10) outside the prescribed OHSAA Scholastic Season during a specific period of time (varies by sport as to the specific time interval).
4. Scholastic Coaches were allowed to have access to players for certain non-direct sports-related sessions (i.e. conditioning WITHOUT using the actual ball used in that sport) during a specific period during the year (once again, varies by sport).
5. Scholastic Coaches had certain "Dark Periods" in which said coaches could not have ANY contact with the players.
6. Scholastic Coaches were prohibited from coaching their own players outside of the specific OHSAA Scholastic Season (a very well known Central Ohio Coach was suspended for allegedly violating this provision many years ago).
7. Teams/Players were prohibited from participating on multiple teams during the season (club and OHSAA or CYO and OHSAA Jr. high, for example).
In many ways, these rules caused the expansion of "club sports", not only in Ohio, but in other states as well. Soccer was one of the first sports in which the "Club Sport" eclipsed the OHSAA sport in importance/exposure for players interested in playing at the collegiate level. In 2018-19, many of the sports (basketball, volleyball, lacrosse and others) are in the same boat as soccer. Athletes (and college coaches) now view Club Soccer, AAU/OYB Basketball, Club Volleyball, etc. to be the most important season of the year.
While NCAA/NAIA soccer coaches do attend OHSAA (and other State Associations') games, the numbers are relatively small. Up to 300 college coaches will attend the Disney College Showcase, the Adidas -- I mean Puma -- Blue Chip Showcase and other college tournaments.
The infamous OHSAA "half team" rule along with the others were put in with the right thoughts in mind. In 2018-19, they no longer reflect the realities of the HS Sports World. They need to be modified. However, interscholastic sports are still an important part of high school life in many cases. The above OHSAA rules present a double-edged sword. if ALL OHSAA rules above were eliminated, Club Coaches could train their players year round (including during the high school season). While this may be better for a player's development, it could also create more overuse injuries and create more friction between the OHSAA coach and the Club Coach.
The "half team" rule is likely the most problematic for players and the OHSAA. This rule impacts club team make-up from time to time. This rule also has a major negative impact on the development of Club Programs in more rural single-high-school communities. In large metro areas such as Columbus, there are many multi-high school suburbs (Lewis Center/Powell/Olentangy (4), Westerville (3), Dublin (3), Hilliard (3) and Worthinton (2)) that also have multiple club options within a 20-30 minute drive. While the five player rule can impact a Club Ohio or OP at a Dublin School or a Barca Academy/Classics Eagles at an Olentangy School, the impact is much less major.
For areas like Marysville or Jonathan Alder or Watkins Memorial among others, it is very difficult to create a solid club soccer program. Players know that once they reach U-15, the team will likely have to disband as they will struggle to be able to attract players from outside the community to participate. That challenge creates a cascading effect down to the U-13/U-14 level as well as players and their parents begin to prepare for the inevitable break-up of the team at U-15. Consequently, developing a strong pipeline of players via a club program from the youth program up through U-14/U-15 in these rural areas can be a real challenge.
While the examples I mentioned above pertain to Central Ohio, the same issues occur across the State. In my opinion, rolling back the "half team" (or five player rule in soccer) would actually be healthy for the OHSAA. It would allow for better development environments for many of the rural communities through the improvement of home-town clubs into the high school ages, while helping some players in larger communities as well (allowing them to stay with their club team without concern over the five player limitation).
Bottom Line: The single-sport players are already playing that sport all year round. Allowing an unlimited number of players from a high school would not create the environment the OHSAA's rules were designed to eliminate.
