Pennsylvania high school athletics will follow the lead of professional sports by starting upcoming seasons without any fans in the stands.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association announced this week that itās moving forward with prep sports as planned, while the seasons will start with only student-athletes, coaches, officials and staff in attendance.
The PIAAās announcement stressed that they didnāt have a choice when it came to fan attendance, as they are following the guidelines set forth by Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf. Wolfās latest sports guidance was updated July 15, with the pre-kindergarten through high school section stating that counties will be allowed to play sports as long as they are in the yellow and green phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sports wonāt be allowed in the red phase.
āThe decision to resume sports-related activities, including conditioning practices and games, is the discretion of a school entityās governing body,ā the release from the governorās office reads. āAny sports-related activities in Yellow or Green phased counties must adhere to the gathering limitations set forth by the Governorās Plan for Phased Reopening (25 in yellow, 250 outdoors and 25 indoors in green) and the facility as a whole may not exceed 50% of total occupancy otherwise permitted by law. During the Yellow and Green phases of reopening, sports-related activities at the PK-12 level are limited to student athletes, coaches, officials, and staff only. The addition of visitors and spectators will be contingent upon future health conditions within the state and local communities.ā
PIAAās Wednesday release spelled out that the regular schedule allows football practice to start Aug. 10, while the rest of the sports can start Aug. 17 and the first competitions begin Aug. 20. An alternate start date plan would push contest dates back to Sept. 14 at the earliest, while thereās also room for hybrid plans.
āPIAA is committed to maximizing the athletic opportunities for student across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,ā the association said. āIn addressing the COVID-19 crisis and how it has affected the 67 counties differently, PIAA understands the flexibility needed by school districts to make localized measured decisions, rather than a āone size fits allā approach in addressing interscholastic athletics.ā