In an email to Athletic Directors in Illinois on Wednesday, IHSA Director Craig Anderson indicated that there will be consideration into delaying high school sports until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the email, Anderson said, “If we remain limited in our ability to offer all of our fall sports this fall, we are considering a schedule that would permit all 3 seasons of sport activity to be conducted during the 2020-21 school year. We have received numerous emails from school administrators requesting this model to play out. This idea remains a priority for our staff and board. We are considering virtual competitions for many of our activities.”
The IHSA announced last week that it will be deferring to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Governor’s Office in regards to plans for the fall athletic season. Members of the IHSA board will be meeting with the IDPH and the ISBE on July 24th in a roundtable discussion. The IHSA board will then meet on Wednesday, July 29th where a decision on fall athletics will likely be made.
The IHSA originally released Phase 4 practice guidelines which began on July 5th, before revising those guidelines less than a week later.
Fall IHSA sports currently include football, girls field hockey, boys soccer, cross-country, girls swimming and diving, golf, girls tennis and girls volleyball. Sports like golf, swimming and cross country have been deemed low risk by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The fall practice season is currently scheduled to begin on August 10th.
