The Never Ending Debate: Spring Football

[EdgyTim]

Had an interesting talk on the latest 20 Minutes podcast with Maine West HC Jason Kradman who coached in Florida and who is also from Florida. I asked him if spring football could work here...and I know half of you just blew a gasket at even the suggestion...but it's worth a visit no?



My thought has always been take 10 days away from the 25 summer contact days...and allow a 10 day period in the spring for football. Limit it if you want, put in any sort of rules and limits with pads, no pads etc. yet allow teams to have some sort of team workouts for 10 days during the spring evaluation period. This doesn't need to be consecutive days etc make it open so programs can have some freedom to set it's own schedules. Basically every other sport goes non stop these days...so why not allow football a pretty important period of time in a very important time of the year? Feel free to place your objections here etc.

 

[mc140]

Florida does their spring ball after spring sports end in May as with most southern states that have it. Texas mostly does theirs during their block athletic period during school and only the big schools are allowed.

-Spring weather in Illinois also sucks. I'd rather have guranteed nice weather I'm June and July then likely mid 40s and possible rain.

-The vast majority of football coaches in Illinois coach other sports in spring.

- Facility usage would also be an issue at most places.

 

[CCLorBUST]

Granted I'm not fully aware of the Florida rules but their spring ball just sounds like most Illinois school's summer camp. Do they have rules that dictate summer contact or when fall practice could start?

I get nervous our kids will forget half our playbook when we give them 3-ish weeks off between summer camp and fall camp, let alone forget everything from April to August.

 

[No Bias---Just Reality]

Granted I'm not fully aware of the Florida rules but their spring ball just sounds like most Illinois school's summer camp. Do they have rules that dictate summer contact or when fall practice could start?

I get nervous our kids will forget half our playbook when we give them 3-ish weeks off between summer camp and fall camp, let alone forget everything from April to August.

Then take the days away from the beginning of summer camp not the end and it doesn’t give you a bigger gap from end of camp to start of season. The reason for the desire to move some summer days to the spring is so that there are spring practices when the colleges coaches can come visit during the spring evaluation period and help with recruiting.

 

[McCaravan]

Facility useage is a huge deal at schools with smaller campuses in the City. MC has three levels of Baseball and Two levels of LaCrosse, Volleyball, Track and Rugby all squeezed in there after after school in the Spring and 70% of the Football team plays one of the above mentioned sports. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

 

[LHSTigers94]

The main benefit for spring football is player recruitment.

 

[Chicago773]

Let football do whatever they want after June 1st...Track, volleyball, and baseball from some are over by then. Put a ban on 7on7 like Ohio does so more players can do Spring sports for their school.

 

[EdgyTim]

Let football do whatever they want after June 1st...Track, volleyball, and baseball from some are over by then. Put a ban on 7on7 like Ohio does so more players can do Spring sports for their school.

Baseball never ends and it gets worse every year....and same with volleyball.

 

[LHSTigers94]

Let football do whatever they want after June 1st...Track, volleyball, and baseball from some are over by then. Put a ban on 7on7 like Ohio does so more players can do Spring sports for their school.

The purpose of spring ball is to allow evaluation from college coaches for kids wanting to play football on the next level. Evaluation period is from mid April to the end of May. Spring football is not for a coaches ego or the desire dominate. The 25 days over the summer is plenty however NO college coach will see any of those practice sessions. Unfortunately most of the springs sports are more concerned with THEIR accomplishments versus the student athlete.

Here is the sports breakdown for IHSA

Football can play 14 games total. (No scrimmages)
Basketball get 30 plus games during the season and another 30 games/scrimmages during the summer.
Track competes Indoor in February, Outdoor March through June. Summer competition is legal which extends their season through the end of July.
Baseball is similar to track and basketball with the addition of fall league competition.

To sum it up a sport that gives 85 scholarships yearly basically have zero approved evaluation period for a team. The sports that over 12 or less have extreme evaluation periods. Is it really about the kids or the adults?

 

[mc140]

The main benefit for spring football is player recruitment.

But what they really care about is getting kids to their one day camps.

 

[Quags57]

Facility useage is a huge deal at schools with smaller campuses in the City. MC has three levels of Baseball and Two levels of LaCrosse, Volleyball, Track and Rugby all squeezed in there after after school in the Spring and 70% of the Football team plays one of the above mentioned sports. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

It's not just smaller campuses where facility use is strained in the Spring. It is virtually everywhere.

There can be as many as 12 sports going on during the Spring. And that is just the varsity levels. And that doesn't count up and coming sports like rugby and cricket (yes...cricket).

 

[tripleoption61]

From having coached in Florida myself it works because all spring sports are done by May. (Except postseasons). Taking away days in the summer to do non padded practices is not the answer. If it will not culminate with a jamboree or game then it's no use. I've had college coaches come out and see a guy workout and do drills during the spring. (Yes it's illegal) . The state has to take football seriously and make spring practice a priority. Other than that it won't work.

 

[mc140]

Football coaches already last less than five year on average. This state churns through head coaches at around a 20 percent clip on a yearly basis. This would not help things.

 

[ref2]

Baseball never ends and it gets worse every year....and same with volleyball.

It is almost to the point that all sports never end. Summer baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer it goes on and on

 

[mc140]

It is almost to the point that all sports never end. Summer baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer it goes on and on

If there is money to be made off of parents, it will never end.