Governor Releases Restrictive Guidelines for Youth Sports

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced guidelines for youth sports, including IHSA, in a press conference on Wednesday.

According to the guidelines on the State of Illinois’ web site, sports are broken up into three areas, based on their inherent risk level (higher, medium and lower).

High-risk IHSA fall sports at Waubonsie Valley High School include football.. Medium-risk fall sports include soccer and volleyball. Lower-risk fall sports include cross country, golf, swimming and diving, and tennis.

According to the guidelines, “current conditions allow for” higher-risk sports to only participate in “no-contact practices and trainings”.

Medium-risk sports can participate in “intra-team scrimmages, with parental consent for minors, but no competitive play.”

Lower-risk sports can participate in “intra-conference or intra-league play” and “state or league-championships” are allowed.

The Illinois High School Association met on Wednesday morning and is expected to announce a decision about fall athletics on Wednesday afternoon.