KEY POINTS:
College Sport now has wider powers to investigate claims of high schools poaching up-and-coming stars.
The Auckland college sports body can now probe allegations of schools recruiting emerging athletes who play below premier-level competition.
It had previously regulated only transfers of teenage sport stars playing in the top grades.
At a special meeting yesterday, Auckland Secondary Schools Heads Association members also voted that principals must sign a statutory declaration when they accept a transfer student.
"If a school suspects that [a student] has been induced to go to another school, they can invoke that statutory declaration, like they can for the premiers, basically the same," said chairman Byron Bentley.
"The onus is on the receiving school, if challenged, to prove they have not induced a player to come across by any means, they've come across for genuine reasons."
The vote follows the tightening of measures in December to discourage schools from poaching top-level athletes.
Association members had told the organisation they were concerned the tougher bylaws might push down the recruitment of talented athletes in the younger age groups.
The association yesterday also decided there would be no stand-downs of transfer students from competition while their eligibility to play was decided, unless the receiving school principal had not signed the statute of declaration.
Under the tougher rules, several students were sidelined this year while schools argued over eligibility, including Year 11 student Gabrielle Crothall, who missed more than two months of school water polo matches after moving from Baradene College to St Cuthbert's College before a ruling deemed her transfer legitimate and she could play.
"We've got to put the interest of all schools to the floor and we think we've got protection for everybody there now," Mr Bentley said.
The changes follow a review of College Sport bylaws.
