Photo by Todd Lester
Vestavia Hills WR/DB Charlie Hughes (6) makes a reception during a game between Spain Park and Vestavia Hills on Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, at Buddy Anderson Field at Thompson Reynolds Stadium in Vestavia Hills.
High school athletics are returning this fall in the state of Alabama.
That is the plan, for now at least.
On Thursday, the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) released its "Best Practices" document, which details the state's return to play guidelines, along with rule modifications in the sports of football, volleyball, cross-country and swimming and diving.
The purpose of the document is "to offer AHSAA member schools best practices in order to commence the 2020-21 school year athletic seasons as scheduled and have complete seasons through championship play."
The AHSAA Central Board of Control approved the proposal in its annual summer meeting on Wednesday.
“I want to thank this Central Board for having the courage to do the right thing,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said in a statement. “Moving forward, this is a great day for our association.”
While schools across the state are working through the logistics of students returning to school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, high school sports teams were allowed to begin organized team activities in June for the first time since mid-March, when the 2020 spring sports season was cancelled.
"Last spring, what happened to our spring sports will hopefully never happen again," Savarese said in a press conference on Thursday.
Fall sports teams will be allowed to begin full practice on July 27, with the first contest date for football and volleyball remaining August 20, as originally slated.
Rules modifications from the National Federation of High Schools will also apply to fall sports.
Notably, in football, the team box will now extend from the 10-yard line to the opposite 10-yard line, allowing more room for social distancing practices. Timeouts will now last up to two minutes. Handshakes between teams pregame or postgame will no longer be allowed.
The return to play guidelines include arrangements in each sport pertaining to all facets of an event, including the facility, transportation, spectators, games, etc.
"This is a fluid document that will be updated constantly," said Denise Ainsworth, an assistant director with the AHSAA.
In terms of many of the logistical issues that will arise, the handling of them is being left in the hands of local school districts and governing bodies. Fan access and auxiliary participation (band, cheerleaders, etc.) will both be the responsibility of the participating schools.
Savarese said he was hopeful the Alabama Department of Public Health would release a document in the coming weeks with suggested guidelines for gatherings such as sporting events.
Savarese also confirmed on Thursday that any students returning to school using a virtual or remote option will be allowed to participate in athletics, pending clearance by the student's family and school. Those are decisions each family has to make and will not determine a player's eligibility for athletics.
There is no way to know whether the football schedule, along with the other fall sports, will be able to be conducted as planned. But Savarese stressed patience and flexibility as the schools across the state work toward returning to athletics in a safe manner.
"We’re all going to have to adjust," Savarese said. "Schools will try to make as many accommodations for individuals as possible, but we’re all going to have to be patient and understanding as we deal with this health issue."
