St. Michael must abide by the AHSAA "transfer" rules, which are complicated. Here are the relevant rules, but we advise you to talk to Paul Knapstein, our athletic director, if you have any questions. 

1. If students are enrolled as 8th graders at Christ the King, St. Patrick or St. Benedict  they are immediately eligible as 9th graders at St. Michael. 7th and 8th graders enrolled in these three schools may even play on St. Michael teams while students in those schools, if the coach believes they're good enough. 

2. Students enrolled as 8th graders in these three elementary schools who choose NOT to attend St. Michael the following year (and attend another public or private high school in Alabama) must sit out their first year of sports with this new school (unless they make a 'bona fide move' to this new school district or they transfer to a non-AHSAA school).

3. If students from Baldwin County are enrolled in a school from Mobile County (public, private or Catholic) , they may transfer to St. Michael the following year and be immediately eligible. That's because their "school district" is Baldwin County by virtue of their home residence-- they are playing "out of district" in Mobile, and "returning home" to their district in Baldwin County by coming to St. Michael. So a student who lives in Baldwin County and plays at St. Paul,  for example,  could come to St. Michael and play immediately. 

4. If a student transfers into St. Michael from a non-AHSAA member school (AISA or other) or because of a "bona fide move" into the Baldwin County area from some other county,  that student is eligible to play immediately. Contact Mr. Knapstein to determine what is meant by a "bona fide move."

5. AHSAA rules state that if students receive financial aid, then the first year they are in a school "system," they are ineligible for play varsity sports (this is AHSAA's attempt to discourage private schools from giving financial aid as an inducement to play sports at a particular school). After that first year, they may continue to receive financial aid and be eligible. But there are three situations where the financial aid penalty does not apply: 

a. Because the AHSAA regards St. Michael as part of the same "system" as Christ the King, St. Patrick and St. Benedict, if students from those three schools need financial aid as freshmen at St.Michael, the first year financial aid "penalty" does not apply, even if they did not receive financial aid at the elementary school level. 

b. Incoming seventh graders to CTK, SB or SP are not subject to the financial aid penalty, even if they participate on St. Michael teams. The AHSAA does not regard entry into 7th grade as a "transfer" between member institutions because schools of 6th grade and below are not sanctioned by the AHSAA. 

c. The financial aid penalty does not apply to any junior varsity or middle school athletic programs. 

TWO FINAL, IMPORTANT NOTES:

These eligibility and financial aid rules DO NOT APPLY TO CYO sports or city leagues, which are currently what our 7-8th graders play for the most part. They only apply to eligibility for St. Michael, or if a 7th-8th grader were invited to play up to a St. Michael team.

There are rules that govern all sorts of contingencies--transfers due to moves, divorce, etc. They are tricky, detailed, complicated. Don't presume to guess the answer--ask! If you have questions, send an email with your exact question to Paul Knapstein, school athletic director . He will research your question and respond back ASAP.