Every year players choose to transfer schools for a wide variety of reasons. The most high profile athletes who have transferred so far this year are former St. Mary’s starting QB Jack Creighton and 2008 CIS rookie of the year Waterloo LB Jordan Verdone. Jack is now enrolled at Guelph and Jordan has decided to transfer to Calgary. Ismael Bamba transferred from North Dakota to Sherbrooke. What are the CIS transfer rules?
What are the transfer rules in the CIS?
Can CIS coaches (or others in the athletic department) contact you to inquire about transferring?
The answer is no. It is illegal for a coach to contact you directly to inquire about transferring. If you contact a CIS coach about transferring he is obligated to call your current Athletic Director / CIS coach to let them know that you have contacted them.
How long do i have to sit out if I transfer?
The general rule on transferring is that you have to sit out one year before participating with the new school.
Example: If Jack played in 2 games for St. Mary’s in 2010 then he would be eligible to play in week 3 with Guelph.
The same rule applies to NCAA / NAIA ‘bounce backs’. Every year 5 to 15 Canadians return to Canada to play CIS football. As long as they have not used up their entire NCAA eligibility they are able to transfer.
Example: If I used up my 4 years of eligibility in the NCAA / NAIA i have used up my eligibility in Canada (even though you have 5 years in Canada).
Special Cases
When Waterloo suspended their program and when Carleton disbanded their program the athletes from those teams were allowed to transfer with no penalty in terms of sitting out. Waterloo athletes that did not transfer right away have to wait for individual rulings from the CIS.
What other things should i know?
a) If you are transferring because your current academic program is discontinued or you are entering a ‘post-grad’ program then you should be eligible to play for your new team right away.
Example: Mark Surya played receiver for the Queen’s Gaels in the 2009 Vanier Cup. He transferred to Laurier in 2010 to enter their Dentistry program and was eligible to play right away.
b) You always have to have your academics ‘in order’ to be able to play.
For more info contact the CIS directly or follow this link
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