General Eligibility Requirements

Grade Restrictions: No student-athlete below grade eight will be allowed in any VPA sanctioned sports at any level (varsity, junior varsity, freshman) unless approved by the VPA.

Academic and Behavioral Standards: Grade eight student-athletes who participate in a high school sports program fall under the same academic and behavioral expectations as high school students.

Eligibility Period: Grade eight student-athletes who participate on a high school sports team will be granted five years (10 semesters) of eligibility.

Readiness Assessment: Determination must be made by the school's principal (or designee) to ensure that the grade eight student-athlete is physically, mentally, and socially prepared to participate at the high school level.

Sport-Specific Participation Rules: Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Field Hockey and Softball

Divisions 1, 2, and 3: Grade eight participation is possible by waiver request only. Grade eight participation may be granted only at the lowest level of team offering at the school.

Division 4: Grade eight student-athletes may be used on a sub-varsity team provided that the student-athlete is needed to maintain the school's sub-varsity team. If a Division 4 school does not have a sub-varsity team, the grade eight student-athlete may be used on a varsity team provided that:

• A waiver has been granted by the VPA
• No other student-athlete in grades 9 through 12 has been cut from the program

Girls' Ice Hockey (Special Exception)

Grade eight students may only be used if both of the following conditions are met:

• There is a lack of an appropriate program at their grade level either in a local club or middle school program (thus their only option would be to play on a boy's team, with full contact)
• The high school program has demonstrated a need for athletes to maintain their program (using the Member to Member numbers to determine a full complement of players for a team)

Individual Sports (Prohibited)

Grade eight student-athletes are not eligible to participate in high school sports that have an individual component, including: track, cross-country, wrestling, golf, nordic ski, alpine ski, snowboarding, and gymnastics.

VPA Waiver Criteria

For all waiver requests, the following criteria must be met:

1. Team Necessity: The use of the grade eight student-athlete is considered necessary for a school to field a team in that sport
   • Specific Sport Thresholds:
     • Soccer: Less than 13 players
     • Basketball: Less than 9 players
     • Baseball: Less than 11 players
     • Softball: Less than 11 players
     • Field Hockey: Less than 13 players
2. No Displacement: The grade eight student-athlete must not displace another student-athlete in grades nine through twelve
3. Eligibility Requirements: The grade eight student-athlete must meet all VPA eligibility requirements
4. District Enrollment: The grade eight student-athlete must be a bona fide student in the same school district as the high school
5. Middle School Impact: The use of the grade eight student-athlete cannot eliminate or unduly impact a middle school team
6. Sending School Agreement: In cases where the grade eight student-athlete comes from a sending school, both the sending AND the receiving schools' administrators must agree to the usage of this grade eight student-athlete