Player Eligibility

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Eligibility Guidelines for Participation on East Michigan Panthers Teams

High School

Eligibility rules apply primarily to high school teams.  We are allowed 2 exceptions per high school team, so please contact us to see if we have room for your non-homeschooled player!

See below for a list of eligibility requirements for high school players. 

Middle School and Cubs Players

We have more latitude to accept non-homeschooled players on Middle School teams and Cubs teams. While we can accept non-homeschooled kids on Middle School teams, we do like to know what our numbers are so we can plan for future high school teams. Please contact us about your Middle School player's school status before signing up at empanthers.info@gmail.com.

Non-homeschooled Cubs players do not need to notify us of their school status.

Eligibility Requirements for High School Players

The bullet points below are a list of requirements condensed from both the State and National Tournament Committees' eligibility requirements. Below the bullet list is a complete list of requirements by the State and National Tournaments.

If you have any questions whether your child is eligible for our teams, please email empanthers.info@gmail.com. 

If your child is NOT an approved exception on a high school team, your child:

  • Must be age eligible for JV and Varsity teams.  
    • JV:  not older than 16 on September 1st of competing year; not younger than 12 on September 1st of competing year.
    • Varsity: not older than 19 by the last day of the state and/or national competition; not younger than 13 at the time of the state and/or national competition. 
  • Must be majority homeschooled.  The rules say 51% which is a way to say "majority" homeschooled.  Unless you have 100 classes, the requirement indicates that parents consider the subjects being taught or home-managed and assess if they are majority home-managed.  These classes can include religion, language, PE and health classes that may be managed from home.  
  • Player must reside at home with parents or legal guardian;
  • Cannot be working full-time and
  • must be continuing some portion of high-school classes. i.e. if a student has formally graduated from high school, he is no longer eligible. 

For your reference:

Player Eligibility: State Requirements

Participant must be homeschooled more than 51% of their classes for the academic year they are playing soccer. Participant must maintain pursuit of their education and the majority of their educational effort must be directed toward home school instruction with a minimum of one subject area not including extracurricular athletic endeavors.

Players shall be homeschooled students, with the majority of their education managed by their parents/guardians. They shall be taught at home by an older (18 or older) sibling or taught at home, or someone else’s home, by another homeschool parent or tutor, provided that it is done under the direction and supervision of the child’s parent or taught at a central location for particular subjects by a homeschool parent or tutor or correspondence or online high school course(s).

Homeschooled does not mean college classes taken at a University or College or Community College or Vocational/Technical classes taken outside the home; or classes taken at a Private, Christian or Public School.

Exception: Each team is allowed two roster positions for players whose homeschool designation is unclear or who attend a school that does not offer the sport of soccer. This must be notated to the tournament director.

Other Criteria: Player must be a live-in dependent of one of their parents (or legal guardians). Player must NOT have graduated from High School level education. Player must NOT have been expelled from public or private school during the school year of the current sports season. Player must NOT be enrolled in a public or private school that has a soccer team. Player shall be no younger than 13 years old and no older than 19 years old as of Sept 1 of the current school year.

Current year participants can not have played on a different team in the prior year. They must sit out one year to be eligible to play in the tournament again. Players subject to this restriction may participate if both the current and former team indicate their approval, in writing, prior to the start of the tournament.

Player Eligibility: National Requirements (Boys only)

ROSTER COMPOSITION: NHSC rosters shall be comprised of amateur homeschool student athletes who are active members of their team or organization for the majority of their respective State’s 2025-2026 academic year primary soccer season. Teams competing in the NHSC outside of their State’s primary soccer season may include student athletes on their roster who are expected to participate on that team in the next upcoming primary season and who otherwise meet student athlete eligibility rules. Student athletes may participate on only one team roster during the NHSC. Boys team rosters may include both boys and girls (Coed), while Girls team rosters shall include only girls (based on student athlete’s sex at birth). Rosters are limited to a maximum of 24 student athletes.

STUDENT ATHLETE AGE: Student athletes shall be no younger than 13 years old and no older than 19 years old through the final day of NHSC competition.

STUDENT ATHLETE HOMESCHOOL DESIGNATION: In order for student athletes to participate in NHSC competition, their education shall be based in their home, with curriculum, instruction, and graduation requirement decisions directed by their parents/guardians (allowable options include homeschool co-ops, state required private or umbrella schools, and dual credit college courses). HOMESCHOOL DESIGNATION EXCEPTION: Each team is allowed two roster positions for student athletes whose homeschool designation is unclear or who attend a school that does not offer the sport of soccer, but who otherwise meet all eligibility requirements. Such student athletes must receive approval through submission of an Eligibility Exception Request form prior to the Student Registration deadline.

STUDENT ATHLETE GRADUATE STATUS: Student athletes who have formally graduated from high school or completed their entire high school course of study are no longer eligible to participate in the NHSC, regardless of age. Each student athlete is allowed a maximum of six years of eligibility for NHSC competition (Effective January 1, 2019).