MAKING CHANGES

With the new season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) just four months away, several rules are set to be amended, the most significant of which is the age limit for participants in both high school and college.

For collegiate student-athletes, they must be 25 years of age or younger in the present calendar year of the current season. He cannot turn 26 on that same year. The previous rule stipulated that students must not be more than 24 years old on June 30 of the current season.

For high school student-athletes, they must be 18 years or younger in the present calendar year of the current season and cannot turn 19 on that very same year.

Meanwhile, the Cesafi will also be aligning with Republic Act no. 10676 or the “Student-Athletes Protection Act.”

A one-year residency is required for student-athletes transferring from one CESAFI school to another. This is for college to college or high school to high school transfers. The previous rule had transferees serving two years of residency.

In addition, high school student-athletes who finish Grade 10 in one school and opt to transfer to another school for Grade 11 is not required to serve a one-year residency period.

With the establishment of Senior High School, the league recognizes that Grade 10 students have the option to choose a senior high school which offers the academic track or strand of their choice.

The schedule of tournaments will also now be spread out from July 30 to December this year, thus maximizing all sports and minimizing conflicts in schedule. The league previously mandated that all events conclude by October.

Major events that will be strategically scheduled are basketball, volleyball and football — all of which are crowd drawers. All other events will be strategically spread during this period.

Finally, grade school basketball is set to be introduced pending the approval of the Cesafi Board of Trustees.