IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson discusses private schools, flag football and more

It’s time for a year-end check-in with IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson, the man who’s been at the helm of the association since 2016.

The following Q&A was conducted through email and addresses issues such as the Right to Play Act, the ongoing debate about private schools and the rapid rise of girls flag football.

How hopeful are you about reaching a compromise with state legislators on the Right to Play Act? What do you envision a compromise looking like?

The original Right To Play bill proposed by State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr called for non-school competition to occur without limitations during the high school sport season, which is currently prohibited by IHSA rules. This possibility caused a great deal of concern among IHSA member school coaches and administrators, and to her credit, Rep. Yang Rohr heeded that feedback and adjusted accordingly. Working with Rep. Yang Rohr and her colleagues, including Sen. (Ram) Villivalam, who sponsored the amended bill in the Senate, they have agreed to allow the IHSA legislative process to proceed with a bylaw proposal from a member high school that would allow for a student-athlete to have two opportunities during their high school sports season in which they could compete in non-school competition in that same sport. We believe that this compromise would be much more palatable for IHSA schools from both a safety perspective, as well as for coaches to better be able to navigate their seasons. And we are thankful for both Rep. Yang Rohr and Senator Villivalam for allowing our membership to review and determine the bylaw language that will permit expanded opportunities for students. We look forward to working with our member schools on the details of this bylaw proposal and plan to keep Rep. Yang Rohr and Senator Villivalam in the loop as it proceeds.

We continually hear complaints about schools and coaches violating transfer and residency rules. Without a “policing” arm, is there anything the IHSA can do to curtail violations?

The IHSA Board of Directors has had multiple discussions on this very topic this year, and we know those conversations are happening in our high schools as well. There could be ways to help mitigate these issues through our bylaws, but with a membership as large and diverse as ours, one-size-fits-all solutions rarely exist. Our administrative staff is always ready and willing to perform investigations into the potential violation of any bylaw, including transfer and residency, but we do require a burden of proof to start an investigation. That threshold can vary, but it obviously lends credence to the process if a member school is willing to provide information when they believe a violation may have occurred. I also think that it is important to note that when a transfer is completed within IHSA rules, whether we like it or not or whether we believe there are ulterior motives behind the transfer, if it is within the rules, then it is legal. The residence piece falls a bit more on the schools, as public schools obviously have a legal obligation in that regard. However, we have some very large districts in Illinois, and when you couple that with larger transient populations, it can be difficult to verify.

The debate between private and public schools continues. With more tweaks on the way, how close do you feel the IHSA is in terms of forging an acceptable competitive environment for both sides?

This is a debate that has been happening for a very long time, both here in Illinois and in many states around the country. That fact reiterates that there is no perfect system, but I think the steps our board took in March are going to be positive for the overall competitive balance in the state. I recognize that many private schools feel these changes are punitive toward them, but there were some very clear-cut examples of schools receiving waivers in certain sports that should not have. I also think it is important to note that there was a bylaw proposal a year ago that would have eliminated the waiver altogether. Given that the IHSA membership is nearly 80% public schools, the public schools could have easily passed that bylaw, but it failed. I think that shows good faith that our member schools realize the benefits of a unified membership, but it does require some give and take on both sides as we try to find that middle ground in terms of competitive equity.

We're a year away from the shot clock being implemented for IHSA basketball. From what you've heard from member schools, how prepared are they for the change?

The IHSA Board did hear from one small school conference earlier this year who shared some concerns about the installation costs and costs for additional personnel to run the shot clock, but overall, the topic has been fairly quiet. I credit our board members who made this decision back in June of 2024 for providing our schools significant lead time to budget, plan and install their shot clocks in preparation for the 2026-27 season. More and more events have used them in recent years and the feedback from everyone involved seems to be positive. We recognize there are still concerns about who runs it and what happens when they make a mistake, but there are several states who have implemented the shot clock and are making it work. I tend to be a bit old school, but even I will admit that whenever I go to a high school game where a team tries to run out the clock in the fourth quarter, there is a part of me that is excited to see that go away to a degree.

Nationwide, participation numbers at the high school level continue to rise. In terms of IHSA sports — with the rapid rise of sports such as flag football and girls wrestling — where do you see the greatest potential for growth?

We are proud to be one of the few state high school associations in the country that offers activities, in addition to athletics, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that there has been significant growth in some of the IHSA’s activities as well. Esports team participation has grown by over 70 schools in three years, while bass fishing is slowly, but surely, pushing toward 350 schools fielding teams in the IHSA state series. Now back to the sports. The explosion of participation in girls wrestling has been really exciting, but I think the sky is the limit for girls flag football. When you look at the popularity of football in our country, the fact that most schools already have an adequate field in place for a team, and the fact that it is a relatively cheap sport that doesn’t require a massive roster size or prior experience, it seems to have all the ingredients for significant growth. How big it gets is anyone’s guess, but I wouldn’t be shocked if we start to see some (Class) 1A-sized schools co-oping to create flag football teams in the next five to 10 years.