Board hears update on efforts to minimize impact on football, girls’ soccer seasons

July 8, 2020

The TSSAA Board of Control held a special called meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 to discuss plans for the upcoming football and girls’ soccer seasons due to the extended COVID-19 State of Emergency that is set to expire on August 29.

Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA, updated the Board on the status of discussions with the Governor’s legal counsel.

“We are working with the Governor’s legal counsel and based on the conversation we are having, we think it is best to delay any vote on a contingency plan,” stated Childress.

“The Governor’s legal counsel stated that they need time to observe the data and work with us. There will come a time when we will have to make a decision on a contingency plan, but right now it is our opinion that we need to give their legal team the opportunity to see if it is needed in girls’ soccer and football.

“Their legal counselors are well aware of the TSSAA Sports Calendar and we will work to get an answer as soon as we can. TSSAA will not be making any further comment as the discussions with the Governor’s legal counsel are ongoing.

“If we have any chance of having fall sports, we encourage everyone to wear a mask, maintain physical distancing, and wash hands to help everyone reach the goal of getting the numbers down. The return on that investment would be that we do get to have fall sports on time this year.”

The early afternoon meeting included an update from Assistant Executive Director Matthew Gillespie who shared news from the NFHS Network about the availability of free Pixelot automated streaming video cameras for members’ School Broadcast Programs. Schools that don’t already have Pixelot cameras or want to enhance their coverage are eligible to receive two free Pixelot cameras from the NFHS Network. Schools should contact Matthew Gillespie to get started with the School Broadcast Program and to learn more about this offer.

The next scheduled meeting for the Board of Control will be a classification study session on July 22, 2020 in the Siegel High School cafeteria. Social distancing and capacity limits will be enforced and masks will be required for all in attendance.