(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After a 379-272 vote, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will not be moving forward with the implementation of a district system for high school football in the state.
The proposal on the table would have created 64, eight-team districts and changed the way scheduling games was done.
Critics, including the majority of schools in the Chicago area, said the plan would have erased some longtime rivalries and instead would have created plenty of uncertainty regarding scheduling.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement that the association will continue working to switch up the high school football system in a way that all schools agree on. To that end, he added that the IHSA Board of Directors has had discussions about creating a football-specific committee.
“They want to be proactive in trying to address the issues that are at the root of different football proposals seemingly being brought forth each year,” Anderson said.
Nearly 90% of state schools took part in the process, which resulted in the highest voting total over a sports legislative process in more than 10 years.
Another proposal that failed to pass would have decreased the number of summer contact days between coaches and student-athletes.
A full rundown of the IHSA sports legislation proposals can be found here.
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