From The Tribune staff reports

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama High School Athletic Association held a virtual press conference, highlighting its ‘Best Practices’ plan for returning to play this fall, on Thursday, July 23.

During the presser, AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese echoed what was announced Wednesday: fall sports, as they stand today, will begin on time.

Fall sports teams have the option to begin fall workouts on July 27. Football teams will be allowed to practice in shorts and helmets during that first week, ending on Aug. 3.

Fall sports such as volleyball, cross-country and swimming and diving, can use the first week for acclimation and tryouts. The first regular season contests can be played on August 20.

Details such as crowd restrictions, band and cheerleading involvement, and game day personnel will be left up to local school systems.

“All decisions concerning spectators—student sections, stadium seating, reserve seats—are all under the management of the local school,” said Savarese.

The AHSAA does not govern cheerleading or band, however, Savarese encouraged each local system to give those members priority when evaluating crowd restrictions.

“We encourage all school systems to provide an opportunity for the band to participate and for cheerleaders to be part of the contest if in accordance with local school policy,” said Savarese. “We have also advised our membership that if there is fan restrictions, to please make band and cheerleading parents a priority, allowing them to attend before other outside individuals.”

Some of the adjustments implemented for particular fall sports include:

• Football: Timeouts will be extended to two minutes, sideline boxes will now run from the 10-yard-line to the opposite 10 to help with social distancing, only one player will represent each team at the coin toss.
• Volleyball: The number of people allowed at the scorer’s table will be limited, suspend protocol of changing benches, pre-match conferences will only involve head coaches.
• Cross country: Course widened to six feet where possible.

Savarese emphasized that every decision surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is fluid and could change quickly.

“Everyone should understand, that sports this season will not be normal,” he said. “We cannot think in normal terms, therefore our board has provided schools flexibility to play or to not play without penalty and to allow school officials to use their judgement based on the latest health information available in their specific region of the state.”