Simply playing skilled soccer is no longer enough to qualify for the playoffs in New Hampshire. Beginning this season, the stateís high school teams will have to be good sports, too.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve sportsmanship, the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Soccer Committee has adopted a rule that bans any team from postseason competition if it accumulates 12 yellow cards--or four red cards--during the 16-game regular season. It follows in the footsteps of a few neighboring states that have created similar policies.

"We already have several sportsmanship-related rules, but after reviewing what Connecticut and Massachusetts did, we decided for the first time to tie our policies into postseason participation," says Steve Beals, NHIAA Soccer Committee Chair and Principal at Laconia High School. "The thought process was, if we focus it on the ultimate goal--to win a state championship--it may have more meaning."

Those opposed to the change don't like that an entire team can be punished for the behavior of a few disruptive players. Others have expressed apprehension surrounding the consistency of officials handing out cards.

However, the rule seems to be paying dividends so far. Less than three weeks into the season, one team had already removed a player who had developed a card problem. Beals adds that there have been talks of a mentoring program to help teams that accumulate too many cards, and he looks forward to hearing feedback at the end of the season, when heíll review the new policy.