Following yesterday’s IHSA’s March Board of Directors Meeting, Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha sent out a press release loaded with good news for the remainder of the high school sports schedule. The board approved an increase in the amount of spectators for outdoor events for counties that are in phase four, which is currently the entire state of Illinois.
Up until Monday, only 50 spectators were allowed to attend games. As of yesterday, that total has increased to 20% of the maximum venue capacity. That change is for outdoor sports only, indoor sports will still be limited to 50 spectators. IHSA Executive Director, Craig Anderson says, “We have been adamant in our discussions with the IDPH that we believe we can safely and responsibly expand spectator guidelines without risking the general public to greater exposure to COVID-19 . This felt like a commonsense change, especially as we evaluated collegiate and pro sport spectator guidelines in the state, and are happy for the student-athletes who will be participating in IHSA outdoor sports this spring and summer, as well as for their families and friends.”
Another topic of discussion at Monday’s meeting included the approval of dates for an IHSA State Series in traditional spring sports, such as baseball, softball, boys tennis, girls soccer and boys and girls track and field. All tournaments are currently expected to conduct all rounds of competition, including a State Final. The State Series dates will be posted online at ihsa.org later this week.
The entire press release can be found here: https://www.ihsa.org/News-Media/Announcements/ArtMID/2803/ArticleID/1817/preview/true
