GHSA says football start date of Sept. 4th could change

Georgia High School Association Executive Director Robin Hines said that during last weeks meeting with his sports medicine advisory council that football games will remain scheduled for September 4th, while also saying that those plans are fluid and subject to change. The GHSA will reevaluate every Wednesday.

Executive Director Robin Hines posted on the GHSA website: After today’s meeting with the SMAC, the GHSA is providing this information to our member schools to provide an idea of the possibilities that exist for GHSA sports/activities.

    Our plan as of today is to move forward with the September 4 date for opening football season, as directed by the Board of Trustees.
    However, it is possible that the start date of September 4 could change based on COVID-19 data.
    As numbers dictate over the next two weeks, a decision will be forthcoming with regard to the football start date.
    The GHSA staff has contingency plans to cover all start and restart scenarios.
    Our goal continues to be to provide sports and activities for our students as soon as possible with safety being the top priority.
    There is always a possibility of postponement based on the data and advice from our medical professionals.

Six GHSA schools have canceled their upcoming sports seasons, including Salem, Heritage, Rockdale County, Stewart County, Calhoun County and Twiggs County.

The Georgia High School Association has also released new and updated reported sports COVID numbers within the world of high school sports. These numbers are only the reported numbers of the players and coaches who have tested positive and keep in mind that the GHSA does not require member schools to report tests.

In the most recent release there have been 866 COVID-19 cases. The number of positive test is up by more than 200 since the first release which came out July 28th.