California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. The CIF was founded in Los Angeles in 1914 by a group of area school principals. It was founded in order to standardize rules and team structures between schools; it was also intended to prevent abuses such as "school shopping" by athletes and teams fielding players over high school age. Other school principals voluntarily entered into the program, and by 1917, the organization was established statewide.