California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced Monday in a statement high school sports in the state will be delayed until December 2020 or January 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has determined, in collaboration with our 10 Sections, that education-based athletics for the 2020-2021 school year will begin with a modified season of sport schedule (see below for 2020-21 sports calendar),” the statement reads.
The organization says the earliest fall sports will begin in California is December 2020.
“Our calendar reflects the season for each CIF sport and the last date for Section Championships and Regional/State Championships in those sports where a Regional/State Championship is currently offered. Following this announcement, each CIF Section Office will release their own calendar to reflect regular season starting and ending dates and Section playoffs. It is anticipated that most Section start dates will commence in December 2020 or January 2021.”
California has over 30 high school players with a four-star ranking or above according to 247Sports Composit rakings that will now be forced to choose between playing a senior season, or enrolling early in college.
California is the first state to postpone high school athletics due to the pandemic this fall.
Last week, the Illinois High School Association announced they would defer a decision for fall sports to the Illinois Department of Public Health. A decision on fall sports is expected sometime this week.
