FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2000


FHSAA Board of Directors approves one change to newly implemented football playoff system

GAINESVILLE – Acting upon a recommendation of the FHSAA's Football Advisory Committee, the Florida High School Activities Association Board of Directors on Monday approved one major change to the newly implemented state playoff system in that sport.

Effective with the upcoming 2000 season, all games played during the 11-week regular football season will count toward determining at-large qualifiers and first-round pairings. This past fall only the results of the first nine games played through the first 10 weeks of the season were counted.

"The Football Advisory Committee at its meeting in December unanimously endorsed the new playoff system," Commissioner Robert W. Hughes said. "We heard various opinions about the new format throughout the year, but when it can right down to it, the only change that the committee suggested be made was to count all the games played by schools."

Counting the results of the final week of the regular season, however, will mean that schools will have to wait longer to find out who their first-round opponents are. This past year, the FHSAA Office announced the first-round pairings nine days in advance of the games. Next fall, that announcement won't be made until Sunday evening – just five days in advance of the games.

"The committee believed it was an acceptable trade-off, because everyone will be in the same situation," Hughes said. "No one will know for certain who they play until the pairings are released."

The Football Coaches Advisory Committee is a nine-member committee comprised of head football coaches from across the state who are elected by their peers, as well as the Florida Athletic Coaches Association's football chairperson. The committee meets annually to review FHSAA football regulations and the state playoff system, and make recommendations for changes or improvements in such to the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors spent the majority of Monday's meeting considering the recommendations of the Football Advisory Committee, as well as those of advisory committees in other fall sports, and took the following action:

Cross Country

• Approved a recommendation to hold the meeting for head coaches of participants in the FHSAA Florida Cross Country Finals on the night preceding the running of the state meets.

• Approved a recommendation to require that accessibility to Hytek Meet Manager computer software be a criteria in the selection of regional meet hosts.

• Approved a recommendation to award ribbons to all 15 individuals who qualify for advancement from district meets to regional meets and regional meets to state meets, rather than to just the top 10.

Football

• Approved a recommendation to predetermine the arrangements for District Shootouts and eliminate conference calls with participants. Under the new provisions, the top-seeded school will serve as the host for the District Shootout, and the higher-seeded school in each round will be designated the home team and will wear the darker-colored jersey.

• Approved a recommendation to institute a "mercy rule" provision. The head coach of a team that falls behind by 30 or more points following the end of the second quarter will now be allowed to request of the referee that the game clock run continuously from that point forward. The only exception will be during timeouts.

• Approved a recommendation that the maximum permissible number of players in uniform for a playoff game be increased from 48 to 60.

Golf

• Approved a recommendation that golf continue to be played during the fall season. The Board of Directors, however, added a stipulation that member schools sponsoring a program in the sport will be surveyed as to their preference of a season for the sport following its conclusion next fall.

• Approved a recommendation that the maximum number of names that can be submitted on the District Entry List be increased from eight to 10.

• Approved a recommendation that the number of weeks of preseason practice be reduced from three to two, thus allowing competition to start one week earlier.

• Approved a recommendation that the playoff system be expanded to include a regional round of competition. The Board of Directors, however, did not adopt the format proposed by the Golf Advisory Committee and directed the staff to develop an alternative format for the Board to consider at its March meeting.

• Approved a recommendation that the FHSAA implement rules clinics that head golf coaches be required to attend as is the practice in other sports.

• Approved a recommendation that each district be permitted to hold a Sub-District Tournament to determine qualifiers to the District Tournament at its discretion. Such Sub-District Tournaments must be held the week prior to the week in which the District Tournament is scheduled.

• Approved a recommendation that a golfer who deliberately throws any equipment during competition will be disqualified from the competition for unsportsmanlike conduct. The golfer will be further suspended from competition for the next seven days and two competitions.

• Approved a recommendation that schools during regular season matches may agree in their contract to play more than the standard four or five golfers in the match. If, however, if the contract is silent on this issue, participating schools will be limited to a maximum of five golfers in the match.

Swimming & Diving

• Approved a recommendation that the staff develop a form that must be used by schools that qualify entrants into the FHSAA Florida Swimming & Diving Finals to report the names of qualifying entrants, relay team members and coaches to the host of the state meets.

• Approved a recommendation that the FHSAA forward to the National Federation of State High School Associations for consideration by the National Swimming & Diving Rules Committee a proposal that touchpads be the same width as swimming lanes or that the width of the lanes be adjusted to the width of the touchpads.

• Approved a recommendation that Hytek Meet Manager computer software be used to report results of District Meets to the FHSAA Office to expedite the determination and announcement of at-large qualifiers to the State Meet.

Volleyball

• Approved a recommendation that players be permitted to tape a maximum of two fingers together during competition.

In other action, the Board of Directors:

• Approved a change in the signatures required on the "Contract for Interscholastic Athletic Contest" form. Effective for contests next year, a valid contract must bear two signatures – that of the principal and either the school's official FHSAA representative or the Athletic Director.

• Approved the sale of up to 21 "generic" FHSAA State Series Passes to each member school. These passes will bear only the name of the school and may be distributed by the principal at his or her discretion to school employees and other individuals associated with the school's athletic program for their use throughout the school year.

• Approved on a one-year trial basis the sale of FHSAA State Series Passes to registered contest officials.

• Appointed a list of recommended member school representatives to fill vacant seats on the 2000 FHSAA Representative Assembly; as well as one vacant seat on the Section 3 Appeals Committee.

• Heard a presentation from staff on a proposed "Categorization of Sports Policy" that would establish guidelines to be followed by the Board of Directors in recognizing and sanctioning sports, and implementation state championship programs in those sports. Action on the proposed policy will be taken at the March meeting.

• Heard a presentation from staff on a proposed change to the current "Classification Policy" that would establish that a school's classification would be based on its student population in the ninth, 10th and 11th grades rather than the 10th, 11th and 12th grades. Action on the proposed policy will be taken at the March meeting.

• Heard a presentation from the Commissioner on the need to end the football season one week earlier so that the state championship games are not held immediately prior to the Christmas holidays. The Board of Directors and staff will solicit suggestions on how to accomplish this from interested parties, and action will be taken at the March meeting.

• Reviewed a "Preparticipation Physical Evaluation" form that has been proposed by the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. Action on the proposed form will be taken at the March meeting.

• Reviewed a "Consent and Release Certificate" that has been proposed by staff. Action on the proposed form will be taken at the March meeting.

• President J. Howard Hinesley announced the appointment of Board members Rick Misenti, Bob Burnside and Norman Wein to a sub-committee of the Board's Operations Committee to initiate a comprehensive review of the FHSAA's sports seasons.

The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida. It has a membership of 615 middle, junior and senior high schools. The Board of Directors is the body charged with adopting rules, regulations and policies to govern FHSAA programs in accordance with its bylaws.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org