Houston United Girls Flag Football League, a program of She Plays Flag Texas (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), is committed to a positive and trust-based competitive environment for established teams. Coaches invest significant time and effort recruiting, developing, and supporting their rosters. This policy ensures that coaches can compete in Houston United without concern that other league teams will actively recruit their players during the season.
Purpose
This policy is designed to:
• Protect coaches from active recruitment of their players by other Houston United teams during the season
• Preserve roster stability and predictability throughout the league schedule
• Maintain trust and professional respect among coaches in the league
• Preserve player and family autonomy by allowing players and parents to initiate conversations with other teams if they wish, while preventing coach-initiated recruitment
Scope
This policy applies to:
• All coaches, assistant coaches, and team representatives of Houston United teams
• All players currently rostered on a Houston United team
• All recruitment-related interactions during the Houston United season, defined as the period from team registration through the conclusion of league play (including playoffs)
This policy does not apply to:
• Activities or recruitment occurring outside of Houston United (such as for tournaments, travel teams, or other leagues unaffiliated with Houston United)
• Off-season recruitment between Houston United seasons
• The Houston United Free Agent Program, which operates under its own structured process described on the Free Agent Program page
Prohibited Conduct
During the Houston United season, coaches, assistant coaches, and team representatives may not:
• Initiate contact with a player or parent on another Houston United team for the purpose of recruiting that player to their team
• Send direct messages, emails, texts, or social media communications to another team's players or parents inviting them to consider switching teams
• Suggest, hint, or imply to another team's player or parent that they would be welcome on the coach's team, whether at a game, practice, league event, or any other setting
• Use a third party (a current player on the coach's team, a parent, a friend, or any other intermediary) to do any of the above on the coach's behalf
• Make negative or disparaging comments about another team or its coach to a player or parent of that team, in a manner intended or likely to encourage them to consider leaving
Permitted Conduct
The following are explicitly allowed and are not considered violations:
• Players or parents may approach a different Houston United coach on their own initiative to ask about other teams or future seasons. The receiving coach may respond truthfully and respectfully but may not extend a recruitment offer in violation of the mid-season transfer policy below.
• Coaches and parents from different teams may interact normally at games, league events, and in the community. Casual conversation about flag football is expected and welcomed.
• Discussion of next season, off-season tournaments, and other non-Houston United opportunities is permitted at any time, provided it does not involve a current-season transfer.
• Coaches may participate in the Houston United Free Agent Program in accordance with the structured process described on the Free Agent Program page.
Mid-Season Transfers
Once teams are registered and rosters are finalized, players remain with their registered team for the duration of the season. Mid-season transfers between Houston United teams are not permitted.
This rule serves two purposes:
• It eliminates the incentive for recruitment by removing the possibility of mid-season roster gain
• It preserves schedule integrity, competitive balance, and a stable team experience for every player and coach
Limited exceptions:
• Player withdrawal from the league entirely (the player does not move to another Houston United team)
• League-directed reassignment in extraordinary circumstances such as documented safety concerns, harassment, or a coach's removal from the league
• Approval by league leadership in unique circumstances at the league's sole discretion
A player who withdraws from one Houston United team during the season is not eligible to join another Houston United team for the remainder of that season.
Free Agent Program Interaction
The Houston United Free Agent Program operates within a structured pre-season process designed to place unrostered players on teams in an organized way. The no-poaching policy and the Free Agent Program work together:
• Free agents are unrostered players. Recruiting free agents through the established Free Agent Program is not poaching.
• Once a free agent accepts a placement on a team, that player becomes a rostered player and is fully protected by this no-poaching policy for the remainder of the season.
• The right-of-first-refusal rules in the Free Agent Program apply only during the pre-season free agent placement process and not during the active season.
Reporting Suspected Violations
Coaches or parents who believe this policy has been violated should report the concern in writing to league leadership at info@houstonunitedgirlsflag.org. Reports should include:
• The name of the coach or team representative believed to have violated the policy
• The name of the affected player or family
• A description of the conduct, including dates, locations, and any witnesses
• Any supporting evidence, such as screenshots of messages, social media communications, or other documentation
League leadership will investigate reports promptly and confidentially to the extent possible. Both the reporting party and the accused coach will have an opportunity to share their account of the events.
Consequences for Violations
Houston United will respond to violations on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the severity, intent, and history of the conduct. Consequences may include:
• Verbal or written warning
• Required meeting with league leadership
• Suspension from coaching one or more league games
• Removal as coach for the remainder of the season
• Permanent removal from coaching in Houston United
• Team forfeiture of games, if the violation involves a player who was successfully recruited in breach of this policy
• Disqualification of the team from playoffs
• Forfeiture of registration fees, where applicable
Decisions regarding consequences are made by league leadership and are final. A coach receiving a sanction may request reconsideration in writing within 7 days of the decision.
Coach Acknowledgment
All head coaches and assistant coaches must acknowledge and agree to this No-Poaching and Roster Stability Policy as part of coach onboarding. The acknowledgment should be retained by the league as part of the coach's file.