The state has cleared the fall season to begin on Sept. 24, but local athletes may have to wait longer as the Section 9 Athletic Council will meet Thursday to vote on a plan for the upcoming season.
Section 9 Executive Director Greg Ransom said Sunday morning one option is to start the winter season on Nov. 30 as scheduled, but postpone the fall season until around March and April and then have the spring season in May and June.
The other two options on the table are the state approved plan to begin Sept. 21 and a condensed three-season schedule, beginning in January 2021.
“Before anybody knew that Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo was going to let some sports play in September, January was an option and may still be an option,” Ransom said. “Even if some places start in September, if the outbreak continues, everything might get closed anyway.”
The council will meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday via video conference.

“All our groups have all the options,” Ransom said. “We’ll make an announcement after the vote.”
On Friday, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, issued a 49-page document for the return of fall sports starting on Sept. 21.
The guidance includes limiting spectators to no more than 2 per participant, and while the end date will be taken care of by the individual sections, the fall season cannot last for longer than 15 weeks.
Earlier in the week, the NYSPHSAA, after a meeting of the COVID Task Force has required student-athletes in all sports except football to participate in 10 practices before being eligible to play in a game.
“Our association is aware that many students have been working out during the COVID crisis independently,” NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas said. “There is a reality that many students have not worked out as other students have. We determined that adding a few additional practices at the beginning of the season for conditioning purposes when they’re with their high school coaches was a good idea.”
NYPHSAA officers also voted to waive the seven-consecutive day rule, starting on Oct. 12 and will continue to restrict games for low- and moderate-risk sports to compete within their own league and section until Oct. 19. There will be no change to the number of games that teams can play.
“Unfortunately all sports will look different and participation will not be the same as it was a year ago, but students will have the chance to represent their school, be around their friends and coaches, and experience a sense of normalcy this fall. It is critical that student-athletes be leaders in their schools and communities and strictly abide by COVID-19 safety protocols.”
According to the guidance document, which is based upon guidance from the New York State Dept. of Health, all responsible parties must maintain a social distance of 6 feet, and if a shorter distance is required, players are required to wear face coverings, unless they are not able to tolerate playing with one on. Coaches, trainers and other individuals not directly involved in the contest also are required to wear a face covering.
Spectators are always expected to maintain 6 feet of physical distance between individuals or households and they must wear face coverings while in common areas. Children under the 2 years old are not required to wear face coverings.
Officials will be responsible for managing the game, but not monitoring conditions on the sidelines.
The document also states that responsible parties must implement mandatory health screenings, which includes temperature checks of students, faculty and staff. Responsible parties cannot mandate that patrons, players and spectators complete a health screening.
Individual school districts have the authority to administer their district’s athletic programs as they deem appropriate and they may consider scheduling practices, games and competitions to accommodate bus availability. The rules also permit merged teams with league and section approval.
Soccer has the most stringent regulations of all the low- to moderate-risk sports.
Team benches must adjust backward from the touch line and maintain social distancing while substituting.
Goalkeepers may not spit on their gloves but can wet them with a water bottle. If the referee determines this happened, the gloves will be taken out of play.
There will also be mandatory 2-minute mask break at the first dead ball situation after the 20-minute mark. Players must stay on the field and remove masks if they maintain distancing. Drop balls also will be suspended and instead, an indirect kick will be awarded to the team determined to be in possession at the time of stoppage.
“My message to student athletes is that we’ve been given authorization to start interscholastic sports this fall,” Zayas said. “It’s up to those student athletes to be leaders within their school, to be leaders within their community and to follow all of the safety protocols with social distancing and wearing masks. If we are going to finish this season, it’s going to be contingent upon them listening and abiding by all the guidance that we’ve provided.”