High school football is on in Connecticut this fall, the chair of the Connecticut High School Football Coaches Association confirmed Wednesday night.
Harry Bellucci, who is also the Hartford Public coach and a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference football committee member, said there will be a season.
The CIAC, which originally released a plan for fall football but then hit pause in response to concerns from the state Department of Public Health over contact sports, has been pushing for a fall season. Their argument is that the COVID-19 infection rate is low and there's nothing to suggest that it would improve by the spring.
On Wednesday the CIAC published a new fall sports plan that stated all fall sports, including football, will begin on August 29. All sports will be limited to low risk conditioning and non-contact skill work through September 20, and will take place is cohorts no larger than 10.
The CIAC said that on September 21, which is two weeks from when many member schools will start, they will assess the COVID-19 data to determine if full practices can begin. The CIAC will be monitoring the data daily and inform member schools each Friday of the outlook for the following week.
If the metrics remain safe, games or contests will begin on October 1.
DPH has recommended certain guidelines to protect student athletes, including holding conditioning and practices outdoors if possible and to use face coverings and social distancing. NBC Connecticut has reached out to DPH for comment on the new CIAC plan.
Sports
For full details on the CIAC fall sports plan, click here. Officials are expected to provide more details at a press conference Thursday morning.
