Alabama’s high school soccer season will start on time.
The AHSAA Central Control Board approved a plan to return on time on time at its meeting in Montgomery on Wednesday.
CEO Steve Savarese has consistently maintained that he was “extremely optimistic.” Alabama teams would start on time unless Governor Kay Ivey or the state department of health ruled otherwise. Savarese will hold a press conference at 1 pm Thursday to announce specific details of the return to game plan.
Fall sports teams have the option to start training on Monday with the first week used by soccer for acclimatization purposes only in helmets and shorts. The other fall sports – volleyball, cross country, and swimming and diving – can use the first week for acclimatization and testing. Schools that do not choose that option may begin fall practice on August 3.
The first official contest may be on August 20.
“The purpose of the Return to Play document is to offer best practices to AHSAA member schools to start the sports seasons of the 2020-21 school year as scheduled and as safe as possible,” Savarese said in a press release on Wednesday. in the afternoon.
RELATED: ‘Children need high school football’
Interestingly, 15 Alabama school districts have already chosen to start the academic year entirely online. It is not yet known whether they will delay the start of their athletic season. There is no AHSAA policy that prevents virtual students from participating in extracurricular activities.
I think it’s an excellent decision, “Steve Mask, Episcopal soccer coach and athletic director Steve Mask, said of the Board vote on Wednesday.” It is well thought out. It is one that takes into account the total experience of the student athlete. I am excited for all the kids in all the fall sports. “
St. Paul’s will open its 2020 soccer season against McAdory at home on August 21. Yellow Jackets coach Bart Sessions also said he agreed to the vote to return to play on time.
“Absolutely. 100 percent,” Sessions said. “I think our entire state, I guess never agrees 100 percent, but all the coaches I have interacted with from the Gulf Coast to Tennessee everywhere have been well aware of best practices since we returned in June and I think you are ready to go I think one thing we have learned during this pandemic is to take each day as a blessing and enjoy it. That is exactly what we will do in McAdory. “
RELATED: Plans to reopen Alabama K-12 schools
Other states have not been as decisive in moving forward.
California announced Monday that it will delay the start of its 2020 soccer season until at least December. It could last until mid-April. That didn’t seem like a viable option in Alabama.
“We want to protect our other sports as well,” Savarese said Tuesday at a media day event in Opelika. “We don’t want to stray away from the spring sports season. Many of our children practice multiple sports. We want to have a season appearance as normal as possible in all the sports we can. ”
Georgia announced Monday that it would delay the start of its season by two weeks, a decision that affects several Alabama teams with Georgia squads on their schedule. After a marathon, a five-hour zoom meeting on Monday night, the Florida High School Athletic Association Board voted to start starting next week, although several Florida counties have announced they will not start. on time due to COVID concerns.
Texas announced Tuesday that it was postponing the game in its two largest classes for a month, while the other classes will start on time.
