Eligibility Requirements

Age

The eligibility age for participation in youth sports shall be a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 18 years of age and enrolled in high school, with the exception of basketball which the minimum age if 7 due to lack of gym availability. The cut-off date to establish the age of the child is September 30th of the current year.

Exceptions

Roanoke County will honor an alternate cut-off date established by the sports sanctioning organization if that date does not expand the age brackets or increase the age eligibility established by Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Example. RAYSA age cut off date is December 31st.

Residency

Players on youth sports teams sanctioned by the Department shall be Roanoke County residents. The official address used to determine residency is the current address of the child's primary legal guardian at the time of registration.

Exceptions

Non County residents who attend a school located in Roanoke County may be eligible to participate with the sanctioned Recreation Club that serves the child's school area if the Recreation Club has space available. ALL non resident players are required to purchase a $150.00 non resident participation pass annually through the Parks and Recreation Department prior to registration to confirm eligibility.

Home Recreation Club Requirement

Participants must play with the Recreation Club that serves their legal residence. Recreation Club boundaries are determined by elementary school attendance zones and can be found on the How To Register page of the website. Any participant found to be playing in an incorrect boundary will be subject to disciplinary action which may include removal of participant from program.

Exceptions

Youth sports participants must play for their home Recreation Club unless they meet one of the criteria listed below. To determine if you situation meets an exception, it is recommended that you contact the Athletics Division prior to registration.

The home club does not sponsor a specific sport (Major, minor, A and B leagues are not considered separate sports). In this case the player will be required to register with the club that serves the County High School the child should attend based on their official address at the time of registration. If the participant’s home club and the club that serves their High School do not offer the sport, the player will be considered a free agent and be allowed to play with any of Roanoke County’s Recreation Clubs. If a participant plays in an out-of-boundary club for a sport, they may stay in that club until they age out of that sport, or choose to go back to the home club if that sport is offered in the future. If the participant chooses to go back they must stay with that club until they age out of the program. If the participant skips a year in the out-of-boundary club, they must return to their home club if the sport is now available. Recreation Clubs in other areas may choose not to take players if it conflicts with their bylaws or space is not available. The player will be required to return to their home club for sports that are offered.

The home club does not have enough players to form a team (Major, minor, A and B leagues are not considered separate teams). The players who have registered with the home club will be required to play with the club that serves the High School the child should attend based on their official address at the time of registration. If the participant’s home club and the club that serves their County High School do not have enough players to form a team, the player will be considered a free agent and be allowed to play with any of Roanoke County’s Recreation Clubs. If a participant plays for an out-of-boundary team for a sport their home club does have sufficient numbers for, they may stay in that club until they age out of that sport, or choose to go back to the home club if that sport is offered in the future. If the participant chooses to go back they must stay with that club until they age out of the program. If the participant skips a year in the out-of-boundary club, they must return to their home club if the sport is now available. Recreation Clubs in other areas may choose not to take players if it conflicts with their bylaws or space is not available.

A participant moves out of the County or boundary after registration. The participant may continue to play on that team for that season only. They will then need to sign up with the locality or club that serves there new address for all future sports. Participants who were registered on teams prior to the original adoption of this policy (August 2002) will be allowed to age out with the club in all sports he/she previously played. If the participant skips a year in the out-of-boundary club, they must then go to the new club if the sport is available.

A county resident attends a school located in Roanoke County that does not serve their legal residence. The participant has the choice to play for either their home club or the club(s) that serves the school the participant attends. Once a participant chooses a club, they must do so for all sports offered by the Club. If the participant chooses to go back to his home club, they must stay with that club until they age out of the program. Recreation Clubs may choose not to take participants from outside their established boundaries if it conflicts with their sanctioning requirements. Example: Little League or Dixie Baseball.