CONNECTICUT, USA — The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference updated its fall sports plan on Wednesday, showing that all fall sports including football, are set to start August 29.
The update also said all fall sports activities will be restricted to low-risk conditioning and non-contact sport-specific skill work. It will be in cohorts no bigger than 10 through September 20. The CIAC will have a 10:30 AM press conference tomorrow at their offices in Cheshire. Coaches and players are expected to be present. The sports organization will also monitor the COVID-19 metrics and provide updates to member schools each Friday on the outlook for the following week.
Executive Director Glenn Lungarini believes it’s critical to have sports experiences but says if metrics do not support it, sports will be halted.
When looking toward the winter, basketball, and hockey is a high risk, if high-risk sports can’t be played in the fall, they wouldn’t be able to be played. Lungarini says these student-athletes need this time as far as making decisions.
Lungarini says if coaches are with kids and motivating them, guiding these student-athletes with being socially appropriate, it can lead to a positive outcome from a COVID-19 metric.
As far as football & volleyball the Department of Public Health regarding metrics, they will continue as school starts. Lungarini said with especially football (with no AAU or Club available) it’s important to give that season as much time to be played and provide kids that experience.
To read more about the recent CIAC updates, see below:
The CIAC, a private non-profit which regulates high school sports across the state, paused all high school fall sports after the Department of Health recommended postponing all sports activity for two weeks as schools resumed. The CIAC had requested DPH provide a written recommendation, sending the request the same day their board was to vote on a fall sports plan. The DPH provided their written recommendation the next day, leading to the CIAC's ordering the pause.
