High school football, volleyball, and competitive cheer will be sitting on the sidelines this fall.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced Sept. 9 that those seasons will be postponed until March 1, to address concerns about high-risk fall sports. This includes practices.
Low and moderate-risk sports can begin on Sept. 21, as previously announced.
“We’ve spent two days speaking with nearly 500 athletic directors across the state and it’s clear that administering high-risk fall sports during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge for our member schools,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director.
The revised season for football, volleyball, and competitive cheer will be called Fall Sports Season II, and practices may begin on March 1, 2021.
To accommodate the movement of those fall sports, the start date for spring sports has been changed from March 15 to April 19.
“This continues to be the most challenging situation educators have ever addressed. I, along with my fellow officers, believe the participation experiences for football, volleyball and competitive cheer athletes will be more beneficial in the spring than in the fall.”
Districts that wish to host low and moderate-risk interscholastic sports this fall can begin practices Sept. 21, and begin their regular season games as soon as the student athletes have participated in the required number of practices under association bylaws. Those sports include girls tennis, cross country, girls swimming/diving, boys soccer, girls soccer, and field hockey.