IHSA’s New Rule
Illinois High School Association policy 13 will include several changes to the gridiron this year, but the key rule is players cannot play on consecutive days.
The recommendation came from IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, which they believe will make the game safer.
“It’s a good thing to have limitations for football simply so a young person in high school doesn’t play too much football,” said Sam Knox, an assistant executive director at IHSA. “[And] to put themselves in more chances of injury or [a] potential head injury. More exposure to contact, puts them in more risk of them getting injured, and nobody wants that.”
What Parents Think About The New Rule?
Naperville parents echoed IHSA’s sentiments in regards to player safety, but say the rule has unintended consequences.
Since players cannot play on back to back days some teams from the DuPage Valley Conference have rescheduled their junior varsity games to be played on Monday instead of Saturday.
“If the game is at 4:30 p.m. and it’s a road game the student will have to come out of school early, potentially, to take the busy trip,” said Marc Killips, a Naperville Central football parent. “Parents [would] need to leave work early to get to a game that maybe an hour away. And the rest of the team is not there to support them like they would be on a Saturday.”
What Are Parents Doing About It & How IHSA is responding?
Killips and other parents have started an online petition that has garnered nearly 1500 signatures at the time of this recording, calling for changes.
But, IHSA said policy 13 will not change this year. However, they will gather data this season to see the impact of the rule on player’s wellness.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
