CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Senate Education Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would restore authority over high school athletic transfers to the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission (WVSSAC), reversing a 2023 law that allowed athletes a one-time transfer without losing eligibility. House Bill 4425 passed the committee and now heads to the full Senate for consideration as the legislative session nears its conclusion.
The bill’s passage follows mounting concerns about competitive balance and the impact of unrestricted transfers on community-based high school athletics. WVSSAC officials, coaches, and school administrators testified in favor of the legislation, arguing the current system has created instability and eroded the integrity of the state’s athletic programs.
Steve Wamsley, Vice President of the WVSSAC Board of Directors and principal of Tygarts Valley High School, urged lawmakers to reinstate the commission’s oversight. “We would just like to make sure that you would repeal this and give us a chance to redo this whole thing. I don’t think there’s anybody in this room or in the state that thinks what we’re doing is working. We just need to find a way to do it better,” Wamsley told the committee.
WVSSAC Executive Director Wayne Ryan echoed Wamsley’s sentiment, emphasizing the need for a return to a system where the commission, comprised of representatives from member schools, can establish and enforce transfer rules. “Every rule we have has been set in place either by our schools, by the state Department of Education, or in this case, a unique one, by the state legislature, so that’s why we’re asking for this one to be repealed so we can address it, and we want to address it aggressively as quick as we can with our membership and try to create some stability back in it,” Ryan stated.
Ryan presented data to the committee illustrating a growing disparity in competitive outcomes. He cited changes to mercy rules in softball, baseball, and soccer, as well as the shortening of football games to the third quarter due to lopsided scores, as evidence of the imbalance. According to Ryan, 303 high school football games were shortened last season.
Frankfort High School athletic director Jay Hesse testified about the detrimental effects of frequent transfers on school spirit and community engagement. “When too many athletes start to transfer, schools lose that community feel. Supporters begin asking a question: Is this really our team? And that question matters because we rely on a community, and that community is invaluable in high school athletics in West Virginia,” Hesse explained.
Concerns were also raised about the potential for recruiting and undue influence. Spring Valley High School athletic director Tim George reported a growing suspicion of programs actively seeking to attract athletes from other schools, and even alleged instances of financial incentives being offered. “Undue influence and recruiting is a big piece of this puzzle, and I think that it’s made recruiting and undue influence more common and more likely,” George said. “That’s not something that we tolerate at Spring Valley.”
Winfield High School football coach Eddie Smolder argued that the focus of high school athletics should remain on character development and community representation, rather than solely on winning. “We want to create better men and women, and we also want to teach them all the life skills they need to be successful and represent their hometown school, their community, and their programs the way they should be represented in high school,” Smolder said.
House Bill 4425 would repeal a section of state code enacted in 2023 that mandated the WVSSAC allow for a one-time transfer. Prior to the 2023 law, students generally needed to obtain a waiver to transfer schools without losing a year of athletic eligibility. The bill passed the House of Delegates on March 3rd with a vote of 78-19. If approved by the Senate, the WVSSAC Board of Controls intends to develop and implement a new transfer policy later this month, with potential for an emergency rule to be approved by the state Department of Education shortly thereafter.
