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The CIF-Southern Section Council voted to support a statewide proposal to limit student-athlete sports participation hours to 18 hours a week and no more than four hours a day.

Also at its Wednesday session, the CIF-SS Council, the section’s rules-making and rules-changing body, voted to not support a statewide proposal that would allow student-athletes to play for club teams and their high school teams during the same season of sport.

The CIF State Federated Council meets Friday and Saturday. The Southern Section is one of 10 sections in the CIF State organization.

The CIF-SS Council vote on the club teams/high school teams was settled by voice vote, with no voices announcing support of the proposal. The 18 hours/four hours proposal was supported by a 46-26 vote.

University football coach and athletic director Mark Cunningham, who is on the CIF-SS football advisory committee, said coaches should be able to keep participation time, which includes games and practices but would exclude travel time, under 18 hours a week.

“For football, once you hit the season I would think so,” Cunningham said. “Prior to the season, that could get tough.”

Among the conditions of the proposal, for example, an all-day track meet would not count as more than three hours of participation for a student-athlete’s budgeted hours.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com