A House bill to allow cross-play between the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) and the Alabama Independent Schools Association (AISA) was pushed through several legislative sessions and received approval from the House Education Policy Committee.

“Crossplay” allows AISA schools to play against AHSAA schools, a practice that is not practiced in only two states: Alabama and Louisiana.

As it stands, AISA's roughly 40 schools are forced to travel long distances frequently to play almost every game during the regular season, but supporters of the bill argue that reducing travel time would increase class time.

Proponents also argue that allowing cross-play would have many benefits, including increased economic benefits to the communities where the games are played, stronger intrastate competition and more effectively developing talent across states.

AISA Executive Director Michael McClendon said it's fortunate the bill has moved forward more than it has.

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“The Alabama State High School Governing Board decided not to support the ongoing efforts to resolve crossplay among us. As a result, the bill went to the House Education Policy Committee, which fortunately returned a favorable report,” McClendon told Yellow Hammer News.

“I think it's important to note that this bill doesn't just address AISA. There are four private school athletic associations in this state and this bill affects all of them and benefits all of them,” he said.

AISA private schools can cross state lines to compete against public schools in other states, but cannot compete against public AHSAA schools in Alabama.

McClendon gave the example of two schools that had to travel to Tennessee just to play in a tournament against public schools during spring break.

“They can play public schools across state lines, but unfortunately they can't play public schools within our state.”

He also pointed to multipliers and competitive balance as reasons for the AHSAA's focus on public schools and why AISA schools don't want to join the AHSAA.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Troy Stubbs (R-Wetumpka), told the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday that the AHSAA opposes the bill. HB91 The bill will now head to the Alabama House of Representatives for a full vote. State Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) is also sponsoring the bill in the Senate.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: