The California Community College Athletic Association announced Thursday that it has moved all fall sports to the spring.
The decision to move the sports, including football, to the spring is the association’s Contingency Plan, one of three plans the CCCAA Board of Directors approved for consideration in June.
Under the Contingency Plan, athletics will be able to resume in January if it is safe to do so, a decision the CCCAA said will be guided by state and local health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Another plan the association considered was the Conventional Plan, which would have left all sports except for men’s and women’s basketball in their usual place on the athletic calendar.
If the state had been in Phase 4 of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s four-phase reopening plan, then the CCCAA would have looked to move ahead with the Conventional Plan on July 17.
“We were very hopeful that we could go forth with the Conventional Plan,” said Jennifer Cardone, Interim Executive Director. “It’s the closest to what everyone is used to and provides for the least disruption to our student-athletes and colleges. Unfortunately, California’s reopening progress has slowed, and it’s become apparent that we would not be in position to put it into action on July 17.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staffs are our top priorities. While the Contingency Plan has the most drastic changes, it’s also the one that provides us the best opportunity to return to competition.”
Basketball, cross country, football, women’s golf, soccer, women’s volleyball, water polo and wrestling would start practicing on Jan. 18, and all but football would start competitions on Feb. 5. Football would start the season on Feb. 13.
All the regular spring sports – badminton, baseball, beach volleyball, men’s golf, softball, swim and dive, tennis, track and field and men’s volleyball – would start practice on March 27 and start competing on April 10.
Sports will have a 30% reduction in the maximum number of contests or competition dates that they are currently permitted and will have regional postseason competition. CCCAA state championships have been cancelled.
