09/20/12 – NFHS Releases Opposition to Proposed 10-month Soccer Schedule for U.S. Soccer

September 20, 2012 2012-2013 News Releases

The NFHS, supported by the member state associations including the KHSAA, has released a position opposing the new 10-month schedule proposed by the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. This proposed schedule is an effort to force kids to choose between school based programs (such as those sponsored by KHSAA) and the Development Academy designed to help with the national teams to represent the US in international competition. To require this choice by a vast majority of participants, when there is a very minimal chance the student would ever be selected for one of those teams, is simply not in the best interest of students who will never again have the opportunity for the high school experience. I feel as Commissioner of the KHSAA, that this is simply unconscionable as an alternative for students to have to make that choice. The full text of the statements by NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner is contained at http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=7684, and get to the heart of the matter. This course of action simply is not in the best interest of students.