'It's Game On:' NJSIAA Shares 2020-21 High School Sports Plan

ROBBINSVILLE, NJ — There will be four high school sports seasons in New Jersey for the 2020-21 school year under a plan announced Thursday by the NJSIAA to adjust for the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gymnastics and girls volleyball will move to a special winter season that begins in February, and all of the seasons will minimize emphasis on championships. The spring season, which was completely lost to the pandemic in New Jersey, is being protected as much as possible in the Return-to-Sports Plan from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

"The focus this year is on participation," the document said. "It's game on!"

Among the key elements for all of the seasons:

• Schedules will be condensed;
• Out-of-state competition will be prohibited;
• Postseason play will be limited and local, with no statewide championships.

"We’re extremely appreciative of the support and guidance from Governor Phil Murphy, Senator Paul Sarlo and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly,” said Colleen Maguire, the chief operating officer of the NJSIAA. "Our kids need structured activity, and we believe that education-based high school sports is the best way to provide it. Giving teenagers extra motivation to stay COVID-free promotes healthy outcomes for everyone."

The fall season, as had been announced previously, will focus on the outdoor sports — football, field hockey, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, and girls tennis — as outdoor activities have shown a reduced danger of transmission of the coronavirus.

High schools around the state have had limited sports practices underway since early August, and those practices will halt Aug. 29.

"It is important that all students, whether they are attending class in-person or virtually, acclimate to their new school setting before beginning athletic activities," the association said.

Fall sports will begin practice Sept. 14. Girls tennis matches will begin Sept. 28, while cross country, field hockey and soccer start Oct. 1. Opening day for the football season will be Oct. 2.

Girls tennis will end Oct. 31, while the other sports will play until Nov. 22. Football teams will have the option to schedule Thanksgiving football games, a tradition many had done away with in recent years as the focus turned to the state playoffs. Those games will be permitted after Nov. 22.

Gymnastics and girls volleyball, usually held indoors in the fall, will shift to a special season that will begin Feb. 16 with practices and March 3 for competition.

"If circumstances change, and NJSIAA is unable to have a fall season, the outdoor fall sports will also be played at this time," the association said.

Winter sports — basketball, wrestling, ice hockey, swimming, bowling, and indoor track and field — will start practice Dec. 3, with competition starting Dec. 21 and ending Feb. 3. The NJSIAA will host postseason competition from Feb. 5 to Feb. 17.

NJSIAA officials said they will strive to open postseason competition in any of the sports to schools that want to participate, but that it will be regional instead of statewide.

"Depending on the sport, the postseason will be structured regionally based on counties or based on NJSIAA sections," the association said. The 2019–2020 classifications will be used if there are sectional championships and there will be seeding committees instead of relying on power points.

The spring dates will be announced at a later date, the association said.

"There are many variables that will affect the start of the spring season, including the status of the virus and how many sports, if any, have been moved to Season 3," the plan document says.

Practice start dates and competition dates will likely be pushed back, but the regular season and postseason likely will end much later, the association said.

"The task force is striving to get each sport started as timely as possible; however, minimizing potential overlap and the risk of student-athletes having to choose between seasons is a priority," the association said. "The task force recognizes the need to maximize the spring season due to the loss of season last school year."

All of the dates are subject to change based on guidance from the governor and the Department of Health, the NJSIAA said.

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