This was sent out recently to AD's.
Dear Athletic Director,
As you likely know, the IHSA’s Board of Directors approved a policy last June related to individual playing limits in football.
The policy was initiated by the IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC).
After hearing feedback from many of you, your football coaches, and the Football Advisory Committee, the SMAC recently proposed amended language to this policy.
Last Saturday, at its regularly-scheduled March meeting, the IHSA Board of Directors considered the SMAC’s amended language and approved the following policy that will be in effect starting in the 2019 football season this fall.
FAQs
Q: Can a player participate in a Varsity game on Friday and a JV game on Monday?
A: Yes
Q: Can a player participate in a Varsity game on Friday and a Sophomore game on Saturday?
A: No
Q: Can a player participate in a Freshman game on Thursday and Varsity game on Friday?
A: No
Q: Can a player participate in a JV game on Monday and a Freshman game on Thursday?
A: Yes
Q: Can a Freshman kicker participate in a Freshman A and Freshman B game on the same day?
A: Yes, as long as his only participation is as a kicker.
Q: Can a player participate in a preliminary game on Friday night and also participate in the Varsity game on the same night?
A: No
Q: If a Friday night Varsity game is delayed due to lightning and is completed on Saturday, are the Varsity players allowed to participate in the resumed portion of the game on Saturday?
A: Yes. The SMAC sees this as participation in one game that is spread out over two days.
Q: If a player participates in a JV game on Monday, is he allowed to wear full pads to practice on Tuesday?
A: Yes. He can participate in practice on Tuesday; just not live contact or Thud drills. See the definition of Thud and other USA Football terms in the IHSA Handbook (by-law 3.157 on page 65).
Q: Can a non-Varsity team participate in a Jamboree where it plays against more than one opponent on the same day?
A: Yes. Teams can participate in a Jamboree, as long as the total playing time does not exceed the length of a normal game.
For example: In a Jamboree setting, a non-Varsity team can play a half of football against one opponent and another half of football against a different opponent on the same day.
Or, a non-Varsity team can play four separate quarters against four different teams on the same day, as long as the total playing time doesn’t exceed the length of a normal game.
Dear Athletic Director,
As you likely know, the IHSA’s Board of Directors approved a policy last June related to individual playing limits in football.
The policy was initiated by the IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC).
After hearing feedback from many of you, your football coaches, and the Football Advisory Committee, the SMAC recently proposed amended language to this policy.
Last Saturday, at its regularly-scheduled March meeting, the IHSA Board of Directors considered the SMAC’s amended language and approved the following policy that will be in effect starting in the 2019 football season this fall.
- A player shall not play in more than two games in any one week and shall not play in more than one game on a single day.
- A week is defined as a seven-day period running from Friday through the following Thursday.
- The SMAC recommends that if a player plays in two games in a week, one of those games is only as a one-way player. This is a recommendation; not a requirement.
- Players cannot play in games on consecutive days or be involved in live contact or Thud in practice the day before or after playing in a game.
- Thud is defined as: Competitive tempo with no pre-determined winner, and the players are not tackling to the ground.
- See more information regarding USA Football definitions in the IHSA Handbook (by-law 3.157 on page 65).
- If a player participates in one play in a game, that counts as playing in a game.
- Exception: If a player participates in only one play in a game due to a teammate’s equipment failure or injury, that participation doesn’t count as a game played.
- Exception: Players who only participate as a kicker, punter, or holder are allowed to participate in two games on the same day.
- Note: If a game is stopped due to weather or other circumstances, players are allowed to participate in the game if it resumes the next day.
FAQs
Q: Can a player participate in a Varsity game on Friday and a JV game on Monday?
A: Yes
Q: Can a player participate in a Varsity game on Friday and a Sophomore game on Saturday?
A: No
Q: Can a player participate in a Freshman game on Thursday and Varsity game on Friday?
A: No
Q: Can a player participate in a JV game on Monday and a Freshman game on Thursday?
A: Yes
Q: Can a Freshman kicker participate in a Freshman A and Freshman B game on the same day?
A: Yes, as long as his only participation is as a kicker.
Q: Can a player participate in a preliminary game on Friday night and also participate in the Varsity game on the same night?
A: No
Q: If a Friday night Varsity game is delayed due to lightning and is completed on Saturday, are the Varsity players allowed to participate in the resumed portion of the game on Saturday?
A: Yes. The SMAC sees this as participation in one game that is spread out over two days.
Q: If a player participates in a JV game on Monday, is he allowed to wear full pads to practice on Tuesday?
A: Yes. He can participate in practice on Tuesday; just not live contact or Thud drills. See the definition of Thud and other USA Football terms in the IHSA Handbook (by-law 3.157 on page 65).
Q: Can a non-Varsity team participate in a Jamboree where it plays against more than one opponent on the same day?
A: Yes. Teams can participate in a Jamboree, as long as the total playing time does not exceed the length of a normal game.
For example: In a Jamboree setting, a non-Varsity team can play a half of football against one opponent and another half of football against a different opponent on the same day.
Or, a non-Varsity team can play four separate quarters against four different teams on the same day, as long as the total playing time doesn’t exceed the length of a normal game.