PSAL Sport Descriptions 

The New York City Department of Education has been working with the Federal Office of Civil Rights to ensure that the Department’s athletic programs are compliant with mandated Title IX requirements regarding opportunities for female and male student-athletes. In 2015, New York City and the Office of Civil Rights entered into a formal resolution agreement summarizing the City’s remaining obligations to achieve full compliance. One critical point in the resolution agreement mandates, the NYCDOE will provide a written description of all of its PSAL sports offerings at each high school to all students and allow student to Participate in PSAL ALL Access Plan Program starting spring 2023.

PSAL SPORTS DESCRIPTIONS

Badminton (Girls/Boys) - Badminton is a racket sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock (a feathered or plastic projectile) with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court.

Baseball (Boys) - Baseball is a sport played between two teams of 9 players each who take turns batting and fielding.

Basketball (Girls/Boys) - Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.0 m) high mounted to a backboard at each end.

Bowling (Girls/Boys) - Bowling is a sport in which players standing at one end of an alley rolls balls at twelve standing pins at the end of the lane with the goal of knocking down as many pins as possible.

Cricket (Girls/Boys) - Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 11 players each on a field having two wickets (a structure formed by three sticks with two small bars laid on top) the object being to score runs by batting the ball far enough so that one is enabled to exchange wickets with the batsman defending the opposite wicket before the ball is recovered

Cross Country (Girls/Boys) - Cross country is long-distance running over natural terrain in which teams and individuals run a race

Double Dutch (Girls) - Double Dutch is a sport in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously

Fencing (Girls/Boys) - Fencing is a sport involving the use of the sword for attacking and defending according to set movements and rules.

Flag Football (Girls) - Flag Football is a 7v7 version of football where with rules similar to tackle football, but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down.

Football (Boys) - Football is a full contact sport played by two teams of eleven players each defending a goal sat opposite ends of a rectangular field having goal posts at each end. Players wear a football helmet, a set of shoulder pads, thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouth-guards.

Golf (Girls/Co-Ed) - Golf is a sport in which clubs with metal heads are used to hit a small, white ball into a number of holes, usually 9 or 18, in succession, at various distances over a course with obstacles, the object being to get the ball into each hole in as few strokes (hits) as possible.

Gymnastics (Girls/Boys) - Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises on special equipment that requires physical strength, flexibility, power, agility, coordination, grace, balance and control. Competition events include vault, bars, beam and floor exercises.

Handball (Girls/Boys) - Handball is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall so that it bounces off in such a way that their opponent cannot return it.

Indoor Track (Girls/Boys) - Indoor Track and Field is a sport which combines various contests based on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. The running events include sprints, middle and long-distance events, and hurdling. Jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer.

Lacrosse (Girls/Boys) - Lacrosse is a sport in which two 10 member teams attempt to send a small ball into each others netted goal with each player carrying a crosse or stick at the end of which is a netted pocket used for catching, carrying or throwing the ball.

Outdoor Track (Girls/Boys) - Outdoor Track and Field is a sport which combines various contests based on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. The running events include sprints, middle and long-distance events, and hurdling. Jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault, while throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer.

Rugby (Girls/Boys) - Rugby is a sport in which two teams of 7 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field. Players have to tackle and compete for the possession, pass and sprint to maintain position with an objective to scoring a Try worth 5 points.

Soccer (Girls/Boys, Co-Ed) - Soccer is a sport in which two teams of 11 players, using any part of their bodies except their hands and arms, try to maneuver the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Only the goalkeeper is permitted to handle the ball.

Softball (Girls/Boys) - Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 9 players each who take turns batting and fielding. It is similar to baseball but played with a larger ball on a smaller field with pitchers throwing underhand.

Stunt (Co-ed- Girls & Boys) - STUNT is a newly developed sport deriving from traditional competitive cheer. STUNT focuses on the technical and athletic components of competitive cheer, which include partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps, and tumbling skills.

Swimming (Girls/Boys) - Swimming is a sport involving the movement of the body through water by combined arm and leg motions using specific techniques or strokes for various distances.

Table Tennis (Girls/Boys, Co-Ed) - Table Tennis (also called ping pong) is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth using a table tennis paddle. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net.

Tennis (Girls/Boys) - Tennis is a racket sport played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players equipped with rackets, in which a ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half.

Volleyball (Girls/Boys) - Volleyball is a sport played by two teams of 6 players on a side, in which the players use their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to make the ball touch the court within the opponents? playing area before it can be returned.

Wrestling (Girls/Boys) - Wrestling is a sport in which two opponents struggle hand to hand in order to pin or press each other's shoulders to the mat or ground.