ILLINOIS (WAND) - With their season postponed, athletes in football and other IHSA sports can start fall contact days in early September.Â
The "Fall Contact Period," outlined in a decision the IHSA handed down in late July, is voluntary. Students and coaches who are not in season are allowed to be part of them from Sept. 7 to Oct. 31, 2020.Â
Coaches are allowed a maximum of 20 contact days to give instructions in the skills and techniques of their sport. Open gyms and open weight rooms will be allowed to continue during this time and the entire school year, per an IHSA document.Â
"As a reminder, the Fall Contact Period is an optional period of participation for students and participation or lack thereof during this time cannot be used as criteria for the selection of a school’s team during the team’s established season," the IHSA said.Â
Students and coaches are required to wear masks for contact days conducted indoors. Masks are required outdoors as well, but not when those involved are socially distant or taking part in a "strenuous activity."Â
Guidelines for what can happen during these contact days are different depending on the COVID-19 risk level associated with the sport. High-risk sports, including football, wrestling, lacrosse, competitive cheerleading and competitive dance, can't have intra-squad scrimmages, but can have no-contact practices and training sessions.
Medium-risk sports, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, water polo, wheelchair basketball and 7 on 7 football, are allowed intra-squad scrimmages if parents give consent for their children to take part.Â
Scrimmages are fully allowed in low-risk sports, which include baseball, softball, badminton, bowling, gymnastics, sideline spirit, boys swimming & diving, boys tennis and track & field.
The IHSA had moved seasons for football, girls volleyball and boys soccer to spring 2021. According to MaxPreps, Illinois was the sixth U.S. state to move high school football to the spring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
