The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for a special meeting on July 29, 2020, where the Board announced its intended plans for the 2020-21 school year. The plan has been sent to the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) for final approval.
“This plan, like nearly every aspect of our current lives, remains fluid,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “Changes may come, and if they do, we will be agile while putting safety and students first. It was important that we provide a framework today for our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and officials to begin preparing for the 2020-21 school year.”
The COVID-19 pandemic led the Board to propose unprecedented scheduling changes for the 2020-21 school year. They include playing all sports over the course of truncated fall, winter, spring, and summer seasons. As a result, several team sports will shift to new seasons, including football, boys soccer, and girls volleyball moving from the fall to the spring.
IHSA boys and girls golf, girls tennis, cross country and girls swimming & diving will remain as fall sports, and can proceed to start on August 10 as scheduled. Per Governor Pritzker’s announcement on Wednesday, fall sports will begin with competition limited to conference opponents and other schools in the same general geographical area. Schools will be provided more details in the coming week about the scheduling limits, and scheduling will continue to be assessed throughout each season. The condensed 2020-21 season dates will be as follows (see chart below to see where each sport falls):
Fall: August 10 to October 24
Winter: November 16 to February 13
Spring: February 15 to May 1
Summer: May 3 to June 26
State Series tournament decisions will be made on a sport-by-sport basis as each season progresses, but providing postseason opportunities remains a priority of the Board. This could potentially include culminating State Series Tournaments after Regional or Sectional rounds, or seeking other non-traditional means to conduct events.
Click here for more information from the IHSA.
The chart below outlines the new IHSA schedule for the 2020-21 school year:
| Sport/Activity | IDPH Risk | Traditional Season | 2020-21 Season | Start Date | End Date |
| Boys/Girls Golf | Lower | Fall | Fall | August 10 | Oct. 24 |
| Girls Tennis | Lower | Fall | Fall | August 10 | Oct. 24 |
| Boys/Girls Cross Country | Lower | Fall | Fall | August 10 | Oct. 24 |
| Girls Swimming & Diving | Lower | Fall | Fall | August 10 | Oct. 24 |
| Boys & Girls Basketball | Medium | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Wrestling | Higher | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Boys Swimming & Diving | Lower | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Cheerleading | Higher | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Dance | Higher | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Boys/Girls Bowling | Lower | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Girls Gymnastics | Lower | Winter | Winter | Nov. 16 | Feb. 13 |
| Football | Higher | Fall | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Boys Soccer | Medium | Fall | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Girls Volleyball | Medium | Fall | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Girls Badminton | Lower | Spring | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Boys Gymnastics | Medium | Spring | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Boys/Girls Water Polo | Medium | Spring | Spring | Feb. 15 | May 1 |
| Baseball | Lower | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Softball | Lower | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Boys/Girls Track & Field | Lower | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Girls Soccer | Medium | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Boys Volleyball | Medium | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Boys/Girls Lacrosse | Higher | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
| Boys Tennis | Lower | Spring | Summer | May 3 | June 26 |
