01/27/14 – Board of Control Discusses Football Realignment at January Meeting

January 27, 2014 2013-2014 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 27, 2014

During its January meeting at the KHSAA Office on Monday, the Board of Control discussed at length football realignment for the 2015-18 seasons. The Board examined several options for establishing future classifications before approving a measure to use four-year enrollment averages to determine the 2015-18 alignment.

The Board also approved a motion to allow teams to voluntarily play into a higher class, with the only restriction being that the school in question shall remain in the class for the entire four-year period. All requests must be made prior to the set deadline before district boundaries are established. If a team from one classification elects to play into a higher class, the lowest enrollment average school in the higher class will be given an option to move into the lower class, with every attempt being made to ensure a balance in the number of teams in classes 2A through 5A.

The ranking of schools by four-year enrollment averages will be released to the schools by the end of the week. A deadline will be established towards the end of February for schools to declare their intention to play into a higher class. The KHSAA staff will then work to shift schools as needed per the motion, and present a first draft of the 2015-18 alignment to the Board of Control at its April meeting.

In other Board action on Monday:

?The Board approved a revised realignment of the state in tennis to attempt to place schools in the same region in tennis as they are in basketball, so as to be more consistent with other KHSAA sports. Following feedback from the schools, final discussion will be held at the Board of Control’s April meeting for implementation in 2014-15.

?The Board adopted host site specifications for postseason play in soccer. The approved document establishes separate guidelines for host sites at the district and region/semi-state level.

?The Board approved KHSAA staff to begin negotiating a contract extension of the sponsorship and venue for the football championship. The KHSAA’s current contract with Western Kentucky University and Russell Athletic expires following the 2014 state championships.

?The Board approved the Commissioner to begin the RFP process for future championship sites in girls’ basketball and softball. The current agreement in softball expires following the 2014 state tournament, while the girls’ basketball arrangement expires following the 2014-15 season.

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 277 member schools both public and private. The KHSAA sanctions 40 state championships in 12 sports and 4 sport activities, licenses and trains over 4,000 officials, provides catastrophic insurance for its more than 70,000 member school student-athletes, as well as overseeing coaching education and sports safety programs.