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High school fall sports in Florida postponed until Aug. 24, state officials announce

Under plan from FHSAA, first practices will be held in late August
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Posted at 10:52 AM, Aug 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-14 12:58:13-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — High school fall sports across the state of Florida will be postponed by several weeks.

The Florida High School Athletic Association on Friday voted to temporarily postpone the start of all fall sports until Monday, Aug. 24.

Under the plan presented by FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn, the first practice date for all fall sports will be Aug. 24, with the first games taking place on Sept. 4.

"I'm a firm believer in parental choice, and I'm a firm believer in local decision making," Tomyn told FHSAA board members on Friday. "Please remember, there is no requirement for students to play a sport. There's no requirement for schools to have a team sport."

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For football, the last regular season game will take place on Nov. 6, with regional and state finals taking place after that.

The golf and girls volleyball seasons will last six weeks, with the final regular season contests taking place on Oct. 10, followed by district and regional tournaments and state finals.

The cross country season will last seven weeks, with the final regular season race taking place on Oct. 17, followed by district and regional tournaments and state finals.

The swimming and diving season will also last seven weeks, with the final regular season meet taking place on Oct. 17, and district, regional, and state meets after that.

For bowling, the season will last eight weeks, with the final regular season contest taking place on Oct. 24, followed by district tournaments and state finals.

"Our governor and our commissioner of education are insistent that our schools reopen, and our governor and our commissioner of education know that extracurricular activities and athletic activites are part of that school opening," Tomyn said.

To read the plan from the FHSAA, including schedules for each team sport, click here.