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Field hockey, soccer and football can proceed with games against other schools
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that he will sign
a new Ohio Department of Health order that permits contact sports, including the fall
sports of field hockey, soccer and football, to move forward with games against other
schools. The Governor confirmed support for Ohio’s coaches to inspire their
student-athletes to continue following safety precautions so that all sports can be
played.
Field hockey, soccer and football now join the OHSAA’s previously approved fall sports
of girls and boys golf, girls tennis, girls volleyball, and girls and boys cross country. With
the majority of high schools in Ohio wanting to play sports this fall, the Ohio High School
Athletic Association has been working with the Governor’s Office and the Ohio
Department of Health toward a new health order that contains modifications from
previous orders.
“I hope that the desire to have a season will inspire our young people, our athletes, our
student-athletes, 24/7 to be as careful as they can,” said Governor DeWine during his
press conference Tuesday. “I hope also that our coaches will use this an opportunity to
focus on helping these young people understand what really is at stake. If they are
going to be able to play, that they are going to have to do everything they can to keep
COVID out of their team.”
The OHSAA staff has developed sport-specific modifications and recommendations for
schools when conducting interscholastic competition. Links to these sport-specific
documents were originally included in the July 22 memo when we released the Return
to Play Recommendations document. Links to updated sport-specific requirements,
modifications and recommendations are posted at:
https://ohsaa.org/Home/OHSAA-COVID-19-Correspondence
“COVID-19 certainly has created a risk factor, and that is something on which each
family has to decide for their student, and each local school district has to make
decisions on moving forward based on all the information they have been presented,”
Goldring continued. “But we also believe our student-athletes, coaches and school
administrators – in education-based programs – are suited to be the best advocates for
safety, strongly promoting and following mandates and recommendations to wear facial
coverings, stay socially distanced and so forth. Our coaches, especially, are role models
to so many of our student-athletes. So hopefully our student-athletes will follow their
lead and guidance, especially when they talk to students about what to consider away
from school.”
“The driving force that will inspire our young men, our young women, to make the right
decisions in their lives 24/7 that will inspire them to have the best chance they can to
play their sport,” DeWine continued. “To the coaches, you, in a normal year, inspire, you
mentor, you instruct, you instill discipline and self-discipline in your student-athletes. For
all of that, we are very grateful for what you do. You make a lot of sacrifices, work long
hours and you inspire our kids. We thank you very much for that. But this year, it’s going
to take more. It’s going to be inspiring them in regards to the goal of keeping COVID out
of their team.”
The full text of Tuesday’s update memo sent to member schools is posted at:
https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/BulletinBoard/20200818AdministratorUpd
ate.pdf
The Governor understands that interscholastic sports are different than other forms of
competition because we are education-based and are able to implement best safety
practices and have structure in place for dealing with COVID-19 restrictions. So, if we
want our students to have the privilege of competing in interscholastic athletics, it’s
going to be up to all of us to make sure all mandates and protocols are being followed.
We all need to be diligent and be disciplined.