Australian high school football player files suit to play varsity, says new rule discriminates

DRAPER, Utah — A high school football player from Australia is suing the Utah High School Activities Association in hopes of playing the final few games of his senior football season.

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In a lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of 18-year-old Zachary Szymakowski, attorney David Jordan asserts that a new rule, passed by the association last spring, discriminates against students who attend Utah high schools on F-1 visas.

Szymakowski is a senior at Juan Diego Catholic High School, and he came to Utah from Australia on an F-1 visa at the beginning of the 2023 school year. Most foreign students attending U.S. high schools and colleges use two types of visas — F1 and J-1. There are major differences between the two types of visas, and when it comes to high school sports, it has led to restrictions and controversies.

Students attending U.S. high schools on a J-1 visa generally come through a “cultural exchange” program, pay money to a program or accredited agency, have no ability to select host families, usually can’t choose which school they attend and are restricted to attending school for a specific amount of time, usually one school year.

Students attending high school on the F-1 visa can come to a school on their own or through an agency, can choose their schools, can choose host families and often are required to pay host families, pay tuition directly to the school (have to provide proof before acceptance that they have the money), and can attend a school until graduation.

Continue reading at KSL.com.