15th Annual SFIA/NFHS/NCAA Team Sports Rules Conference — The Inside Scoop (Day 1)
“The purpose of sports is to have fun, teach, learn and engage the kids,” said Dr. Karissa Neihoff, Executive Director of the NFHS, as she opened the virtual SFIA/NFHS/NCAA Team Sports Rules Conference last Tuesday. Dr. Niehoff addressed the wide range of issues, while reminding people of the purpose of interscholastic sports.
In a year marked by the COVID -19 pandemic shutdown, the NFHS has worked aggressively and jointly with many governing bodies and associations, including SFIA, to create protocols and guidance that allowed high school sports to continue in many states.
Many state associations suffered through budget crises as state tournaments were not played and they had to deal with politicized restrictions that hampered efforts to keep sports in play. State associations that historically face a variety of challenges fielding school sports programs and maintaining action plans to deal with those challenges, now add another page to their playbook: dealing with communicable diseases.
There is significant good news out of 2020 as well. The risk mitigation strategies put in place by the NFHS have been validated by scientific international studies. When these specific strategies are implemented, scholastic sports have proven NOT to be “spreader activities.” Additionally, the NFHS/NFL League partnership “Reigning Champs” has created strong growth in flag football for women at the high school level. There is renewed interest in school clubs and intramural opportunities to engage more kids in physical activities and esports.
Resources, places to play, coaches and officials are the continuing key to the success and growth of sports in the scholastic setting.
From the NCAA perspective, Anthony Holman, Managing Director of Championships & Alliances, Playing Rules and Officiating joined the Conference live from NCAA Championship activities in Omaha to discuss the effect COVID-19 has had on collegiate sports. Strict requirements and safety protocols have altered playing rules and modifications to game operations. Mr. Holman discussed the need for increased respect for officials and the challenges of recruiting and maintaining officials.
Issues including Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), transgender athletes at the collegiate level and updates on pending legislation were among Mr. Holman’s topics of conversation.
The SFIA/NFHS/NCAA Team Sports Rules Conference continued on Wednesday, April 14th, with opening presentations from NOCSAE Executive Director, Mike Oliver, and the SFIA State of the Team Sports Industry with Tom Cove, President & CEO of SFIA.
