Two P.E.I. students who moved to New Brunswick to play football say they didn't expect to have to spend 12 months sitting on the sidelines before being eligible to join their high school team.

Earlier this year, Tyler Newson, from Hunter River, and Ethan Haakman of Summerside, and their parents made a decision that the boys would transfer to Moncton High School. They were eager to play on a high school football team, something they can't do on P.E.I.

Tyler said after being approached by an Island coach who suggested there would be more for him in terms of growth and development as an athlete off-Island, he was keen to make the move.

"It's very difficult to be a good football player on P.E.I. because there's not a whole lot of resources to get better," he said.

Tyler and Ethan registered as students at Moncton High School back in the spring and moved to New Brunswick in August to start training with the high school football team.

Tyler Newson says sitting on the sidelines while their team practises and plays without them has been a major disappointment and he doesn’t feel the eligibility rule is fair. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)

Their parents said they even handed over temporary parental rights to the family the boys are living with. They said they were told they had to do that to ensure their eligibility to participate in the school's team sports.

"We thought we were doing everything by the book," said Tyler's mother Lisa Newson. "And then we found out two days prior to their first game that they weren't able to play."

A new policy

That's because of a new New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association rule, voted on by its membership this spring. It requires players on school teams who have transferred from elsewhere to live with their parents.

The rule is in place to prevent recruitment of athletes from school to school. Those who don't meet the criteria are required to wait 12 months after enrolment to participate in team sports.

"It blew my mind," Lisa said. "How can you tell a child not to play any sport for 12 months? I just couldn't wrap my head around that because it's so unfair."

'We thought we were doing everything by the book,' says Tyler's mother, Lisa Newson. (Jessica Doria-Brown/CBC)

"There was a lot of tears and a lot of disappointment that weekend," said Melanie Haakman, Ethan's mother. She said her son couldn't wait to join the team and start classes at his new school.

"He loves football and he can't go anywhere with it here on the Island," she said.

"This was his dream, to go somewhere and do more with football. And then he finally got the chance and it was taken away."

'Would have been nice to have known'

Tyler said sitting on the sidelines while their team practises and plays without them has been a major disappointment. He doesn't feel the eligibility rule is fair.

"It's no different than if someone is an exchange student coming from a different country," he said.

"How they get to play automatically, but people coming from different provinces who don't have the same opportunities as well aren't able to play."

Ethan Haakman also moved to New Brunswick and says it's hard to improve as an athlete without high school football teams on P.E.I. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)

The boys also play basketball and will be ineligible to play on that team as well this year. They've decided to stay on at the school, to continue training and focus on their academics — but their parents said they would have liked to have been made aware of this rule sooner.

"That would have been nice to have known for sure," Lisa said.

Principal says parents were notified

Moncton High School principal Mike Belong said he was clear on the new NBIAA rule and what it could mean for the two students from P.E.I.

"I told them," said Belong. "When the parents sat down with me I said: look there's an [NBIAA] AGM coming up, and it may not go through that they can play next year, and we'll be rolling the dice. So they did, they took that chance."

He said if students make a decision to switch schools, that decision should be based on academics first. But he doesn't agree that out-of-province students should have to wait a year to play on a high school sports team.

Moncton High School principal Mike Belong says he was clear on the new NBIAA rule and what it could mean for the two students from P.E.I. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)

"They're not going to come in droves, 15 to 20 kids a year are not going to come over from P.E.I.," Belong said.

"It's about giving kids opportunities. I think we're supposed to be an opportunistic, inclusive-type province, and I think this eligibility rule is not right."

Belong said he plans to bring the matter to the next NBIAA AGM in the spring of 2020, and intends to put forward a motion to have the rule changed. He'd like to see the eligibility rules reviewed.

Rule to ensure fairness for all

Andy Clark, president of the athletic association, said no review is planned. He said the membership of the association had the chance to vote on the change and the association is simply doing as the membership instructed it to do.

He said it's also about fairness for all students.

"You start eliminating positions for New Brunswick students when you start bringing students from all over the place," said Clark.

The boys decided to stay on at the school, to continue training and focus on their academics, but their parents say they would have liked to have been made aware of this rule sooner. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)

"So I think it's a fair and equitable system we have in place right now. I think it's the best we can do and it does align with most of Canada."

He said students and their families should be aware of the NBIAA policy before deciding to transfer to a New Brunswick school, and if they're willing to put 12 months in focusing just on academics, it's an indication that school, and not just sports, is their main focus.

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