(Phoenix, AZ) The AIA Executive Board, at this time, has decided not to postpone or cancel the spring championship season. The governor’s office and the state health department have recommended a two-week suspension of school and activities. If this timeframe holds true, it should hopefully not impact postseason tournaments.
We will keep all processes in place for postseason tournaments. If the spring championship season extends for any period of time, the AIA will be ready to conduct tournaments in their entirety.
The decision by this Board is that there will not be any official interscholastic competitions played effective immediately through Saturday, March 28. The earliest possible date for the resumption of competition will be Monday, March 30 unless otherwise notified. However, the association will respect all decisions made by schools and school districts in regard to practices during this time of suspension. Therefore, the AIA will defer to the schools and support their decisions from this standpoint.
Our first objective is to get students back into the classroom and then have them return to the athletic arenas when appropriate. As Board members we will work diligently with our constituents to ensure a smooth transition back to school as usual.
As previously communicated with the schools, all fees will be waived for any competitions that are cancelled or postponed directly related to this situation.
All rules and bylaws in the AIA handbook will continue to be applied, including no scrimmages allowed and rules for practices, workouts and individual training sessions with one exception. Upon resumption of competition, those student-athletes affected by the 50% transfer rule (15.10.1) will have their eligibility restored at that time provided all other eligibility requirements are met.
We will continue to monitor the communications from the governor’s office, as well as the state health department, and consider recommendations as they come.
