Administrative Letters
A065 - Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs
Administrative Letter #65 Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs - Approved 12/9/2003; Updated 8/27/2013; Revised 8/2024
DATE: Reviewed and Updated July 2024 – Rusty Taylor
REGARDING: Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs
The success of an athletic program at any high school depends on its coaches and upon their support of each other's programs. It is imperative there be a cohesive relationship within the school's coaching staff. The following guidelines have been drafted to address these issues in order to promote good will and help avoid conflict within our athletic departments. In most cases, the guidelines are a re-affirmation of the present standards of the UHSAA policies or WCSD expectations. Our facilities will not be made available to any program that is not in harmony within this philosophy. These guidelines are based upon the following assumptions:
Coaches will:
- Support other coaches
- Respect the season of every sport by not providing, encouraging, or advertising non-seasonal athletic opportunities which conflict with the in-season sports.
Coaches will not:
- Encourage athletes to remain one-sport (year-round) and discourage participation in other sports during the year.
- Require excess participation by athletes during the summer month or other off-season periods determined by the UHSAA to be acceptable for limited activities.
- Require participation in summer of other off-season activities as an eligibility criterion to team membership or playing time during the season.
Compliance with Dead Times:
Coaches must rigidly comply with dead times and season start/end times as outlined in the UHSAA handbook. It is expected that coaches be proactive in compliance with mandated dead times.
- Open Gyms: Indoor athletic facilities must be supervised at all times and not used for sports specific activities during dead times.
- Outdoor Activities: School equipment or other outdoor areas, which are normally locked, should not be accessible during dead time dates.
Off-Season Activities:
In-season sports always have priority over off-season activities. Student athletes should be able to focus on one sport at a time. Off-season athletic activities should not include students who are participating in an in-season sport.
Summer Camps and Clinics:
In the best interest of both coaches and students, the amount of time spent in summer camps, clinics, or tournaments should not be excessive.
- Camps, clinics, and tournaments are limited to a total of ten days from the end of school through the month of June,
- Coaches are expected to submit a proposed summer schedule to their Athletic Director by April 1st to determine if there are conflicts that need to be adjusted.
Off-Season Coaching Stipends:
Coaching personnel, including assistant coaches, may receive a stipend for work performed outside of their designated season. Coaching personnel are eligible to receive a stipend equal to their in-season stipend for off-season activities. This stipend is in recognition of work with students such as open gyms, weight training, camps, and other activities done off-season.
To qualify for this stipend, coaches must be background checked and certified according to the standards established by the Washington County School District and the Utah High School Athletic Association. Certifications must be current and completed prior to engaging in any coaching activities.
The school district will fund a .5 Head Coach Stipend and a .5 Assistant Coach Stipend for each UHSAA recognized sport at that school. Unused stipends in one sport may not be used by another sport. The school may cover up to .5 additional stipend, (equaling 1 full stipend) and pay other stipends to qualified personnel not to exceed the in-season stipend for that coach. The stipends may not exceed the in-season amount.. Stipend amounts are based on the school year rate that the in-season stipend was earned.
Off-season stipends may be divided among several individuals, similar to in-season stipends.
If a coach worked in multiple seasons, they may receive multiple off-season stipends congruent with their in-season assignments, assuming they do the off-season work required for a stipend for each sport.
Stipends should be submitted using a voucher (Form 156) in the same manner as those submitted for the in-season stipend in July following the off-season period. They will be paid off the just ended year amounts.
EXAMPLE: Bessie coached Volleyball in the 2023 school year and received a head coach stipend at the end of the season. She held open gym, weight lifting sessions, and did a summer camp in the spring/summer of 2024. In July of 2024, her Athletic Director submitted a voucher request for her to receive an off-season stipend equal to her in-season stipend, and included an account number to fund .5 of that stipend.
EXAMPLE: Roland was an assistant football coach and assistant track coach. He performed off-season duties for both football and track. He may receive an off-season stipend for football and an off-season stipend for track, submitted in July of the year following the seasons.