The moving target that is the start of the 2020 high school football season is moving again. On Tuesday, the California Interscholastic Federation announced it is once again delaying the start of the season that was scheduled to started on January 7-8, 2021.
The CIF said in a news release it “does not expect the CDPH (California Department of Public Health) will issue any guidance allowing for schools to return to full practice and competition until after January 1, 2021, at the earliest. Thus, all full practice and competition start dates are officially on hold until updated guidance is issued.”
The state governing body added, “Therefore, to provide the 10 CIF Sections, our 1,605 member schools, and more than 800,000 student-athletes the best opportunity to compete in Season 1 Sports, once allowed by the CDPH and local county offices of public health, the CIF State Office is removing all Regional and State Championship events from the Season 1 Sports calendar. By canceling Regional and State Championship events, more student-athletes will have the opportunity to participate in a longer season, rather than a truncated season with Regional and State post-season play for a limited number of schools.”
? CIF Statement Regarding Education-Based Athletics for 2020-21 School Year
— CIF State (@CIFState) December 1, 2020
?https://t.co/9osPdCJkbL pic.twitter.com/YKBM2U42bw
Practice for the upcoming season was set to begin over the next two weeks, but all have been delayed for now.