BY TIM GAYLE
SPECIAL TO THE ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
For the past couple of weeks, high school coaches have been frustrated and anxious, wondering whether they would be allowed to play football and other sports this fall.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board of Control finally answered the question on Wednesday, approving a set of guidelines that allow fall sports to take the field on time for the 2020 season.
The Alabama Independent School Association’s athletic committee will hold a similar meeting on Thursday to determine the AISA fall sports schedule.
The AHSAA’s Return to play “Best Practices” was approved on Wednesday and will be placed on the organization’s Web site (www.ahsaa.com) on Thursday. It allows football teams to begin fall workouts on Monday with the first week dedicated to acclimation in helmets and shorts, even though teams have been conditioning and working out since June 1. The other fall sports – volleyball, cross country and swimming and diving – can use the first week for acclimation and tryouts or skip that step and begin practice on Aug. 3.
The first contest can be August 20.
AHSAA executive director Steve Savarese praised the board for its leadership and commitment providing member schools the tools to return to play as safely as possible.
“The purpose of the Return to Play document is to offer AHSAA member schools best practices in order to commence the 2020-21 school year athletic seasons as scheduled and as safely as possible,” Savarese said.
Savarese will hold a virtual press conference on Thursday at 1 p.m., broadcast over the National Federation of High Schools network at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/evt658f416bdf.
The Central Board also approved amending the AHSAA constitution concerning the district board makeup, Central Board makeup and bi-districts and the Central Board rotations to guarantee no person shall be discriminated against based on gender, race or religion.
The Merger Act guaranteed specific representation for the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association members when the two organizations merged in 1968. The new language provides representatives of the AHSAA and AIAA to each have equal opportunity at all positions of management.
“I want to thank this Central Board for having the courage to do the right thing,” said Savarese. “Moving forward, this is a great day for our association.”
The Board also waived member school dues for the 30th consecutive year – a savings of approximately $84,000 for the schools for the coming school year and a total savings of approximately $2.4 million since 1991-92 for the AHSAA’s 416 high schools and 336 middle/junior high schools.
The AHSAA Legislative Council also held its summer meeting Wednesday and approved the publications and constitution amendments.
