[Sport] READ: MIAA Releases New Sport-by-sport Guidance for Fall Athletics

[_Happy boy]

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The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association released new sport-by-sport guidance Friday on fall school athletics.

The MIAA's fall season will officially start on Sept. 18. Activities approved by the agency's board of directors for the fall season include soccer, gymnastics, cross country, field hockey, girls' volleyball, swim and dive, golf and dance.

However, there will be no competitive school football, cheerleading or unified basketball this fall. Instead, a fourth, "floating" season has been added from late February to early April for sports that can't be played in the fall.

Individual MIAA sport committee representatives established specific modifications to the state guidelines for each individual sport. They were vetted by the MIAA's Sports Medicine Committee, which includes two epidemiologists.

“It’s exciting that student-athletes and coaches from across the Commonwealth are finally able to prepare for an actual athletic season. The work that the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force and our individual sports committees put forth will allow for these sports to take place in a fashion that adheres to the safety precautions/modifications that have been recommended by the EEA," said Jeffrey Granatino, MIAA president and Marshfield superintendent of schools.

All participating MIAA member schools are expected to adhere to these sport modifications.

“There’s still a great deal of work to do, but the efforts made to date have been amazing and are why we are now able to provide our students with an opportunity to take part in activities that they love and miss dearly," Granatino said.