Additional members may be admitted by majority vote of the current members of the association.

Limited membership may be held by a smaller school in the event that it does not have an enrollment to support all levels or all sports.  Limited membership will have voting rights according to the sports in which they participate.

Each member of the association shall be entitled to representation at all conference meetings and shall be entitled to one vote on all conference matters.

Any violation of the rules of this association shall render the offending school liable to suspension with possible expulsion by majority vote of the conference.

Any conference member desiring to voluntarily withdraw from conference shall make its desire know in writing by April 1st and sending it to the President of the conference to be presented at the next regular meeting.

In accord with Rockford Diocesan Policy 6200 “All elementary and high school athletic programs associated with Catholic schools in the Diocese of Rockford shall be under the jurisdiction of the local school principal.  The athletic director will be accountable to the principal”.  Should a non-Rockford Diocesan school become a member of the conference, it must abide by this policy.

The principals of the Northwest Suburban Catholic Conference will make final decisions on items that affect the entire conference and will have final say in determining ethics reviews, policy/rules and regulation changes and by-law approval and amendments.

The officers of the conference shall be a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Fiscal Manager.  The Chairperson shall be the principal who serves as the chairperson of the McHenry Deanery Principals. The Vice Chairperson shall be the principal who is scheduled to serve as the next chairperson of the McHenry Deanery Principals.  The Fiscal Manager shall be the McHenry Deanery Superintendent.

Duties of the officers:

Chairperson–the chairperson shall be responsible for the following:

A) Calling all meetings of the principals

B) Setting the agenda for each meeting

C) Chairing all meetings of the principals

D) Communicating all decisions to the athletic directors committee through his/her athletic director

Vice Chairperson–the vice chairperson shall be responsible for the following:

A) Substituting for the chairperson in his/her absence

B) Keeping the minutes of all principal meetings

C) Submitting copies of such minutes to the principals

D) Submitting copies of minutes pertaining to conference matters to the Athletic Directors

Fiscal Manager–the fiscal manager shall be responsible for the following:

A) Maintaining signature authority on the conference account(s)

B) Working with the conference treasurer in matters pertaining to finances

C) Overseeing the periodic financial reports of the conference treasure

There shall be a standing committee made up of the athletic directors of the

conference schools.  This committee, known as the ADC, shall have the following officers: a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.  The chairperson of the athletic directors committee shall be the athletic director of the school whose principal serves as chairperson of the conference.  The vice chairperson, the secretary and the treasurer of the athletic directors committee shall be elected annually from among the membership at the first meeting of the ADC each school year.

The ADC shall be responsible for all matters except those so designated for the principals’ determination in Section 2 of this article.  Such matters shall include but not necessarily be limited to:

• scheduling of contests
• procurement of officials
• keeping of conference records
• maintaining standings
• setting tournament seedings
• planning for conference and conference tournament championships
• generating proposed rules and regulations for the conference as a whole and for each conference sport and submitting the same to the principals for approval.

Duties of the athletic directors committee officers:

Chairperson–the chairperson of the committee shall be responsible for the following:

A) Calling all meetings of the committee

B) Setting the agenda for each meeting

C) Chairing all meetings of the committee

D) Forwarding all recommendations of the athletic directors committee requiring principal action as identified in Section 2 of this article to the principals

Vice Chairperson–the vice chairperson of the committee shall be responsible for the following:

A) Substituting for the chairman in his/her absence

B) Maintaining standings, setting tournament seedings, and planning for all championship and all-star games

Secretary–the secretary of the committee shall be responsible for the following:

A) Keeping the minutes of all conference athletic directors committee meetings

B) Submitting copies of minutes to the athletic directors and the principals

Treasurer–the treasurer of the committee shall be responsible for the following:

A) Maintaining signature authority on the conference account(s) along with the conference fiscal manager

B) Collecting dues, paying bills, ordering awards, and maintaining records of all transactions

C) Communicating with the conference fiscal manager regarding financial matters

D) Preparing financial reports for each ADC meeting and submitting the same to each principal and athletic director

E) Preparing a proposed budget for the next fiscal year and presenting the same at the final ADC meeting of an academic year

The Athletic Directors Committee shall meet as a committee of the whole a minimum of four times each school year.  All new business is to be directed to the Chairperson at least two weeks before the next meeting to be put on the agenda.

The conference shall be financially responsible for all expenses enumerated by the Bylaws.

All members of the association will pay annual conference dues as determined each year by the Athletic Directors and approved by the Principals.  This money shall be used for administrative purposes, including, but not limited to, purchase of paper, envelopes, stamps, printing costs, purchase of awards and equipment, and for the payment of any referee fees caused by neutral site games.

Any special assessment for unanticipated expenses shall be recommended by the ADC for approval by the principals.

Awards will be presented to conference regular season champions at 7th and 8th grade levels.  In the event of a tie, place will be determined by head-to-head record and then least points allowed in games/matches won in head-to-head competition.   Awards will be presented at the conference tournament for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishes at 7th, and 8th grade levels for all sports except cheerleading and track.  The Athletic Directors will determine awards for cheerleading and track.

Conference awards and champions shall be formally recognized in writing by the Principals at the next meeting following the conclusion of each sport season.

Adopted 6/27/2000

Latest Revision 4/27/2006

The Northwest Suburban Catholic Conference shall sponsor the following sports:

a)  Girls-volleyball, basketball, track & field, cheerleading

b)  Boys-volleyball, basketball, track & field

Conference contests are scheduled in grade levels 5, 6, 7, and 8.

All sports will be subject to the rules and regulations of the conference constitution and bylaws and subject to Illinois High School Association rules and standards.

The NSCC shall require mandatory playing for all team members who are listed in the official scorebook for each contest.  Every member listed in the book must enter and play in the game or match before it ends.  The penalty to a team for failing to play a listed member is a forfeit of that game.

The mandatory-playing rule in Section 2 shall be in effect for all NSCC regular season conference games, NSCC tournament games and NSCC 8th grade level all-star games.

When a school protests a contest, it shall notify the Chairperson or the Vice Chairperson of the Athletic Directors Committee immediately in writing and accompany the protest with a $25.00 fee.  The Chairperson or Vice President shall then notify the Principals and Athletic Directors of all the conference schools of this fact.  A special meeting of the Athletic Directors Committee will be called as soon as possible to hear and resolve the protest.  All schools involved in the protest must be present.  After discussion of the protest, a vote will be taken by the member schools not involved in the incident.  Voting to allow or disallow the protest will be by simple majority.  If the protest is upheld, the $25.00 fee will be refunded; if the protest is rejected, the money will go to the treasury of the conference.

Athletic Directors shall determine tournament sites at scheduling meetings according to gym availability.

It shall be the responsibility of the host school to lead those assembled in a public prayer and the recitation of the pledge of allegiance prior to each conference contest.

All children must be accompanied by an adult while attending activities and contests at all of our schools.

Host schools are responsible for having a designated person in charge of the game at all times.  Such person will notify visiting coaches of his/her role.

Host schools are responsible for having competent timers and scorekeepers at each event.  The home scorebook is the official record of the contest and is to be kept at the scorers table at all times during the contest.

Host schools should charge for admission and provide concessions at any conference-sponsored event.  The host school keeps moneys collected at this. Admission prices for regular season conference events shall be set by the principals on an annual basis or as needed.

Scholastic eligibility will be determined by each school every two weeks.  A student shall be declared ineligible from participating in contests for a one-week period of time (Monday through Sunday) if she/he has 1 cumulative “F” for the grading period in any class.  Participation in practices sessions during the period of ineligibility shall be made by the student’s parent(s).   The local principal shall have final authority regarding eligibility.

In order to be eligible to participate in a practice or contest scheduled on a school attendance day, the student is to be in attendance at school the entire day of the practice or contest.

Conduct & Effort eligibility will be the responsibility of the principal of the individual member schools.

Students cannot play on a team at a level lower than their present grade in school.

A student may not play at:

...5th grade level if they are 12 years old,

...6th grade level if they are 13 years old,

...7th grade level if they are 14 years old,

...8th grade level if they are 15 years old,

prior to the day a sport’s regular season practice begins on the date set in the annual conference calendar.

The declaration of a forfeiture shall be the responsibility of the host school’s person in charge.  Forfeit time is 15 minutes after the scheduled start of play, unless exceptional circumstances arise, or if officials and participants agree to a later start.

IHSA registered officials shall be used for all Conference contests.

In volleyball one official will be used for regular season games.  Two officials are to be used for tournament games.

The cheerleading judges for the conference competition shall not be affiliated with host school (i.e. parents).

Head coaches must be at least 21 years of age.  An assistant coach may be under 21 provided an adult would be at every game and practice when the head coach was unavailable.

At least one adult female should be in attendance at all girls team practices and contests.  At least one adult male should be in attendance at all boys team practices and contests.

All coaches or other adults involved in student supervision must complete all diocesan requirements regarding criminal background checks, blood borne pathogens training, Protecting God’s Children etc.

Coaches shall display good sportsmanship to instill in each student a sense of responsibility for being good examples to one another.  Coaches should always be positive in coaching and encourage a good attitude towards officials.  Sportsmanship covers not running up the score on another team.  Obscene language and behavior will not be tolerated.  Coaches should not incite the fans toward opposing coaches, players or officials.  Athletic Directors are instructed to caution coaches and remind them of their responsibilities in this regard.

All coaches will answer directly to their Athletic Director who will in turn answer to his/her Principal.

Serious infractions regarding sportsmanship should be brought to the attention of the ADC by the schools involved and principals are to be informed.

Any coach who is charged with a technical foul for unsportsmanlike behavior shall not be permitted to coach the next game/contest in which his/her team is involved.

Any coach ejected during any NSCC game/contest while coaching shall not be permitted to coach the next two games/contests in which his/her team is involved.

Any coach ejected more than twice in a season while coaching in the NSCC will not be allowed to continue coaching and may be barred from any future coaching positions at that particular school in the NSCC.

All spectators are expected to exhibit acceptable conduct at all times and may be removed by the game officials or authorized personnel of the host school.

A) Fans are expected to be courteous and respectful of the host school facility and those in authority

B) Obscene language and behavior will not be tolerated

C) Kicking and stomping on bleachers is unacceptable

D) Local host rules regarding food and drink in gyms must be observed

E) Arrival time should be no more than 30 minutes prior to game time.

F) Local host school rules regarding facilities must be observed.

All student spectators are to be supervised by an adult.

Teams will be organized along grade levels from 5th through 8th grades.  Schools with combined (5th-6th or 7th-8th) teams must play at the 6th and 8th grade levels respectively..  If there are more than eight teams at the 6th grade level, the conference will be split into two divisions.  Each team would play every team in their own division twice (home and away) and every team in the other division once.  Schools that have two teams will not play each other in the conference season.  There will be no standings kept at the 6th grade level.  There will be a tournament at the end of the season with a random draw for seeding.

There shall no be cutting of players at conference schools.  Schools shall divide the team if there are too many players at one level.  Dividing up a team will be handled at the school level and follow this format:

5th and 6th Grade

Teams will be divided equally by skill approved by the Athletic Director. At the 6th grade level, rosters for each team are to be maintained separately. The Athletic Director will notify the Principal of said school.

7th and 8th Grade

Teams may be divided by skill creating an A team and B team.

The process for potentially moving a student from his/her grade level team to a higher playing level team shall be as follows:

Permanent/Long-Term Play Up - Students shall be allowed to play up one playing level only if there are insufficient players to field a team at the higher level (less than 9 in volleyball and less than 8 in basketball).  Based upon the approval for such a permanent play up by the Principal and the Athletic Director, the student’s parent(s) will be contacted to seek their approval.  Once given, the player may be listed on the roster at the higher playing level.  Such a student may not subsequently be moved back to his/her grade level team.  Normally students are not permitted to play up more than one playing level.  Coaches are not allowed to make exceptions to this rule.  Any exceptions can be made only by the Athletic Director after consulting with the Principal.

Temporary/Short-Term Play Up – Students shall be allowed to play up one playing level only if there are insufficient players to field a team for a particular contest at the higher level (less than 9 in volleyball and less than 8 in basketball).  Normally students are not permitted to play up more than one grade level.  Coaches with concurrence of the student’s parent(s) are allowed to make this decision but must notify the Athletic Director within 48 hours after the contest.  The 6 quarter rule shall apply in boys and girls basketball.  The process for determining the player(s) to be moved up shall be as follows:  students in grades 5, 6 and 7 and the parents of such students shall indicate in writing their willingness to play up in the event a shortage of players occurs at a higher level.  A random drawing of those players at each grade level who express such a willingness shall be made and a numerical ranking shall then be assigned.  If a situation arises where a team will be short a player(s), the head coach at the grade level the players normally play shall ask the first player on the ranked list his/her willingness to “play up” for the given contest.  The coach will go down the list until the needs are met.  The next time a shortage occurs, the next player on the ranked list will be asked to “play up”, etc.  Once the bottom of the list is reached, the coach will start again at the top.  The 8th grade “A” team will pull from the 8th grade “B” team.  The 7th grade “A” team will pull from the 7th grade “B” team.  If there is more than one team at the 6th grade level, players will be pulled from the 5th grade.  There will be no “lateral” movement from one team to another.  At the 5th grade level, “borrowing” of players from one team to another shall be rotational, random, and based on willingness.

Schools shall declare at the preseason-scheduling meeting for that respective sport the number of teams and their grade levels for that sport.  No teams may be added after the scheduling meeting for that sport is concluded.

There shall be no contests or practices scheduled on Holy Days of Obligation, or on Sundays except as prescribed in these by-laws.

Playing/Practice Time for Conference Schools

Each school team shall have a maximum of four practices and contests in a given week–Sunday through Saturday.  Only three of these activities may be scheduled on Sunday through Thursday of a school attendance week.  A practice may not exceed two hours for 7th and 8th graders and one and one-half hours for 5th and 6th graders.

Teams will play one round-robin home-and-away schedule with each member school at the respective grade level for those sports where that scheduling is applicable (i.e. volleyball, basketball)

a) Scheduling for conference games and tournaments shall take precedence over non-conference games or tournaments.

b) Games shall not be scheduled to start after 8:30 P.M.

Limitations on the number of contests (excluding the conference tournament and the Diocesan tournament) shall apply:

7th & 8th Grade Girls and Boys Volleyball and Basketball

Round robin home and away conference contests

Non-conference contests may be added such that the total number of regular season contests does not exceed 15

Three tournaments excluding the conference tournament

5th & 6th Grade Girls and Boys Volleyball and Basketball\

Round robin home and away conference contests

Non-conference contests may be added such that the total number of regular season contests does no exceed 13

Two tournaments excluding the conference tournament

Cheerleading

All boys basketball games

One conference competition and one non-conference competition

Coed Track & Field

Up to five track meets–conference or non-conference

Specific Rules for Girls Volleyball

a)Practices/scrimmages that take place prior to the first day of school are optional attendance for athletes.

b) A maximum of eight practices or scrimmages may take place prior to the first scheduled match

c) Conference matches shall not begin before September 1st.

d)Tentative schedules shall be completed at the annual meeting in August.

e) If one team wins the first two games in the match (2-0) then the third game will be a rally scoring game to 15.

f) If each team has won one game in the match (1-1) then the third game will be a rally scoring game to 15.

g) Every scheduled conference match (excluding conference tournament) must consist of three games

h) Conference volleyball season shall end no later than the 2nd Saturday of November

i) Volleyball net height shall be 7 feet 4 1/8 inches as per IHSA girls height

j) IHSA rules shall apply with the following exception: 5th-6th grades will be allowed 4 feet step in line.

Specific Rules for Boys Volleyball

a) Practices or scrimmages shall not begin before the first Monday of February

b) Conference matches shall not begin before 3rd Monday of February.

c) Tentative schedules and levels of teams shall be completed at the annual meeting in November.

d) If one team wins the first two games in the match (2-0) then the third game will be a rally scoring game to 15.

f) Every scheduled conference match (excluding conference tournament) must consist of three games.

g)There is no point cap on any game of any match.

h) Conference volleyball season shall end no later than April 15th

i) Volleyball net height shall be 7 feet 4 1/8 inches as per IHSA girls height

j)  IHSA rules shall apply with the following exception: 5th grade will be allowed 4 feet step in line

Playing Time Rules for Girls and Boys Volleyball

All players entered in the official scorebook before a game MUST play in the first two games of the match.  Failure to enter listed player into one of first two games will result in forfeit of entire contest by the offending team. (Note: Since the NSCC follows IHSA rules regarding roster lineups and any associated penalties for improper entries into an official game scorebook, it is

recommended that all potential players be entered into scorebook prior to the start of the first game.  If a listed player should not show up to the gym by the start of the second game, it would be allowable to remove that player from official scorebook after notifying the referee and scorekeeper, so as not to incur the penalty of a forfeit by the non-entry of that player into a game.)

Specific Rules for Girls Basketball

a) Practices or scrimmages shall not begin before December 15th.

b) Conference games shall not be scheduled before January 10th.

c) Tentative schedules shall be completed at the annual meeting in November.

d) Conference girls basketball season shall end no later than March 15th.

e) Whenever a team is leading by more than 20 points or more at the end of the 3rd period, there shall be a running clock for the remainder of the contest with the exception of a team timeout or an injured player.

f) IHSA rules apply with the following exceptions:

5th Grade

1.  Five minute quarters

2.  Two minute overtimes

3.  No full court press the entire game

6th Grade

1.  Five minute quarters

2.  Two minute overtimes

3. Full court press allowed the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters only.

4.  A team may not use press when leading by more than 10 points

7th and 8th Grade

1.  Six minute quarters

2.  Three minute overtimes

3.  Three point shot will be allowed on courts so marked

4.  A team may not use press when leading by more than 15 points                           

Specific Rules for Boys Basketball

a) Practices or scrimmages shall not begin before the first Monday of October.

b) Conference games shall not begin before November 1st.

c) Tentative schedules shall be completed at the annual meeting in September.

d) Conference boys basketball season shall end no later than January 15th .

e) Whenever a team is leading by 20 points or more at the end of the 3rd period there shall be a running clock for the remainder of  the contest with the exception of a team timeout or an injured player.

f) IHSA rules shall apply with the following exceptions:

5th Grade

1.  Five minute quarters

2.  Two minute overtimes

3.  No full court press allowed the entire game.

4.  28.5 inch ball will be used

 6th Grade

1.  Five minute quarters

2.  Two minute overtimes

3.  Full court press allowed the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters only

4. A team may not press when leading by more than 10 points

5.  28.5 inch ball will be used

7th and 8th Grade

1.  Six minute quarters

2.  Three minute overtimes

3.  Three point shot will be allowed on courts so marked.

4.  A team may not use press when leading by more than 15 points

Playing Time Rules for Boys and Girls Basketball

No student team member may participate in more than 6 quarters of playing time during conference school match-ups in the regular season where back-to-back games are played at the various levels. (Non-Conference Tournaments and non-conference games are exempted from this rule.) An entry of any time in a quarter is considered as a quarter’s worth of play.  At the 6 th grade level all team players are to be given near equal playing time (absent other attendance, academic, discipline, etc. circumstances) except the end of year tournament.  Each team member is required to sit out a portion of each contest at each grade level.  The 6-quarter rule applies to all match-ups between conference schools when 2 or 3 games of the various levels are being played consecutively.  All players entered in the official scorebook before a game MUST play some portion of that game in any quarter before it ends. Failure to enter listed player into game will result in forfeit of entire contest by the offending team.

Specific Rules for Girls Cheerleading

a) Practices shall not begin before the first Monday of October

b) The conference competition shall be set at the annual meeting in September and shall take place around December 15th.  This competition shall take place on Saturday unless the high school gymnasium is not available in which case it shall take place on Sunday after 1 pm.

c) The conference season shall end with the end of the boys basketball season

d) IHSA rules apply

Specific Rules for Coed Track & Field

a) Practices shall not begin before the first Monday of April

b) The conference track schedule shall be set at the annual meeting in April

c) Track meets shall not begin before April 20th

d) Conference track & field season shall end by the Thursday preceding Memorial Day

e) IHSA rules apply