Single-Gender School Policy

Ownder: Director of Operations
Originally Board Approved: April 25, 2018
Last Revised: N/A
Last Reviewed: N/A

1. PURPOSE

To maximize consistency in program delivery and inclusion of all athletes seeking to participate in high-school Ultimate, this policy is to govern the process by which single-gender schools work together with other schools (single-gender or otherwise) to form mixed-gender teams for competition in MODS/MHSAA leagues and provincial championships.

2. POLICY

In all cases that follow, MODS staff (led by the Operations Director) will facilitate the process of partnership between schools. No partnering schools shall compete in MODS league/championship play without prior approval by MODS staff.

2.1 PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SINGLE-GENDER SCHOOLS

The following requirements are to govern the case where two single-gender schools wish to combine for competition in mixed-gender play, and are consistent with existing MHSAA practice for other sports:

  1. Single-gender schools shall be allowed to partner to create teams for MODS league play and provincial play. As MODS allows multiple teams to play from any school, the partnering schools may create as many coed teams together as they wish.
  2. The combining schools must enter into a 3-year partnership together.
  3. Where multiple teams are formed, the team names must (collectively) represent both schools. (Example: team 1 could be named ‘Balmoral Hall Blazers’, with team 2 then being named ‘St Paul's Crusaders’. Teams 1 and 2 could not both be named after Balmoral Hall.)

2.2 PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SINGLE-GENDER SCHOOL & MIXED-GENDER SCHOOL

The following requirements are to govern the case where a single-gender school is seeking partnership to create a team for competition in mixed-gender play and have not found another single-gender school  as their counterpart.

  1. MODS will assist the single-gender school in finding partnership, either with another single-gender school or a mixed-gender school, with the priority of having the partnering school be one that would not otherwise field a team. For clarity, it is MODS’ priority that – to foster growth of the sport and participation of as many schools as possible – such partnerships be between the single-gender school and a mixed-gender school looking to field its first team, rather than a mixed-gender school looking to create a 2nd or subsequent team.
  2. Where the partnership results in the partnering mixed-gender school fielding its first team, the team shall be selected via normal tryout process. For clarity, there is no requirement as to the proportion of the team that must come from either school. (In not giving priority to athletes from the single-gender school, we avoid the possibility of having one gender from the new school be shut out of participation.)
  3. In the event that no new mixed-gender school (i.e. one with no existing team) be interested in joining the single-gender school, MODS will seek to assist the single-gender school in partnering with an existing school program looking to create a 2nd or subsequent team.
  4. Where a 2nd/subsequent team is created, athletes from the single-gender school must be kept together (rather than divided across multiple teams) and must not be selected to the top team. This requirement is intended to allow the single-gender school to build a collective identity and a core group of athletes with experience playing together (for greater ownership over and evolution of that school’s Ultimate programming) while not allowing for a competitive advantage in having the best players from two schools combine to form a stronger team.
  5. Also where a 2nd/subsequent team is created, no players from the single-gender school shall be refused participation in favour of a player from the mixed-gender school. The following example is provided for clarity: no St Mary’s females would be cut, for instance, in favour of Kelvin females. Kelvin females would be added only to round out the 2nd roster (created in partnership with St Mary’s) after all St Mary’s females have been accommodated. A St Mary’s athlete shall only be cut from that 2nd team in the event that there are more St Mary’s athletes than available roster spots.
  6. Where multiple teams are formed, the team names must (collectively) represent both schools. (Example: team 1 could be named ‘Kelvin Clippers’, with team 2 then being named ‘St Mary’s Flames’. Teams 1 and 2 could not both be named after Kelvin.)