The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association has pushed the start of high school sports even further back than originally planned.

Information released by the sports governing body revealed that after consultation with the provincial government and the recent announcement that school would start on Sept. 8, a week later than normal, a multitude of changes were made from the original SHSAA plan released on Aug. 13.

Primary among those was the announcement that golf season for 2020 campaign had been cancelled outright.

“Unfortunately, similar to badminton and track and field in the spring, the pandemic has forced the executive to cancel a season of play impacting many students who are typically involved in school sport,” the SHSAA explained. “The executive believed that the restrictions related to the re-opening of schools would not allow for a safe and effective qualification process leading to a provincial championship event.”

The remainder of outdoor activities will begin with two weeks of promotion and education of school sports preparedness, beginning on Sept. 14. That plan will include familiarizing all with COVID-19 precautions and return to sport protocols, modifications to competition and, most importantly, how much interest there is in school sports participation.

Practices and preparation for the sports themselves will begin on Sept. 28 for outdoor activities, including cross country, soccer and football, and odds are little will be normal – there will be no inter-school competition in cross country, and league sports will likely see ‘mini-leagues’ established, possibly within each city or highly localized region.

The jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction plan has already had one casualty, as the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate announced earlier this week that all fall school sports have been cancelled in the province’s largest city.

Soccer season will be allowed to start on Oct. 5 and will run to Oct. 31; a one-month football season will start on Oct. 13 and run until Nov. 14.

Volleyball will establish their teams and begin practice on Oct. 13, with games beginning Oct. 19 and running until Nov. 28.

All told, sports under SHSAA direction will be starting league play on average a month later than usual.

When it comes to league playoffs and provincial championships, no announcements have been made and any decisions will depend on current Saskatchewan Health Authority public orders and the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

“The executive believe that a gradual and methodical approach to re-introducing school sport is warranted to assist the entire process of re-opening schools,” the SHSAA said. “A gradual return to school sport will allow teacher coaches and student athletes an opportunity to gain an understanding of, and become comfortable in the new school environment while looking forward to a re-introduction of modified SHSAA-sanctioned activities.”