CIAC Cancels High School Football This Fall in Connecticut

It's going to be a little different this fall on High School football fields all across Connecticut.

There will be no players on the field, no parents or students in the stands, and those Friday night lights will not be on.

Late last week, the CIAC, also know as the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, finally decided not to have a fall football season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They had met several times with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and had been advised that since football falls into the high risk category, it would not be smart to play without restrictions. The restrictions that the DPH wanted to see implemented were a seven on seven format, with no offensive or defensive lines, and strictly no contact.

After careful evaluation, the CIAC released a statement that would seal the fate of fall High School football in Connecticut.

Without the Connecticut Department of Public Health support, the CIAC cannot move forward with a full contact season as it would place superintendents and boards of education in the impossible position of acting against the recommendation of a state agency.

The CIAC also mentioned in their released statement that they would like to give players some type of an option, even if it's not on the football field.

The CIAC, in alignment with DPH guidance, will now work with its dedicated athletic directors and football coaches to provide football players with the best low and moderate risk experiences possible.

Here's what CIAC's Executive Director, Glenn Lungarini, told nbcconnecticut.com about plans to give players other options, especially for those who were counting on a fall season to showcase their talents to colleges:

We'll rely on our experts to be able to come up with some options for that. Just some things that we've heard and talked about is maybe some combine opportunities for kids, some skill development opportunities where they can showcase their talent levels that can still be used in a recruiting format to different college coaches.

Volleyball was another sport that came under some scrutiny by the DPH, however, the CIAC released a statement about that as well, and plans to go ahead with an indoor season, with players required to wear masks.

Based on DPH’s September 3 letter, and in collaboration with its medical experts, the CIAC believes the modification of wearing masks mitigates the risk expressed by DPH and provides a safe indoor environment for the sport of volleyball.