Instructions to Teams in Football Playoff Series

Instructions to Teams in Football Play-Off Series

A supply of tickets is being forwarded to the principal of each host school from Weldon, Williams and Lick, Inc., ticket company from Fort Smith, Arkansas, by Federal Express or UPS. These tickets will reach the host school probably on Monday of the week of the playoff game, but no later than Tuesday noon of that week. These tickets are priced at $7.00 for adults and students. A visiting school may contact the host school in regard to securing advance tickets to sell at the visiting school. If a visiting school does secure tickets from the host school, it will be the responsibility of the visiting school principal to turn over all ticket money and all unsold tickets to the host school principal prior to the start of the playoff game.

The host school may sell reserved seat tickets on the home side to people from the host school who have purchased season tickets for all regular-season contests. This would apply to schools where there is seating on both sides with a section of the home side sold to season ticket holders. The tickets would be sold for $7.00 and would be sold through Wednesday or Thursday prior to the game. It would be the responsibility of the game administration to administer the reserved seat sections and make certain that there is some means of identifying season ticket holders.

There are no discounted pre-sale tickets.

The 2007-08 Championship Event Card, pictured below, given to each member school and superintendent is the only acceptable card for entry to all rounds of the football playoff series including first round, second round, quarterfinals, semifinals, Division II BlueCross Bowl, and Division I BlueCross Bowl. This card admits only one person per card.

Each participating school is allowed 30 complimentary tickets to their game. The game director is being instructed to contact the principal of the visiting school to determine if
1. the visiting school is close enough that they may pick up 30 tickets, or
2. if the visiting school should provide a pass list with 30 names on it to accommodate their 30 people.
Twenty-five of these tickets are for use by school officials, principals, teachers, etc. Four of these tickets are for use by band directors and chaperons, and one ticket is for use by the cheerleading coach/sponsor. Cheerleaders (limit 12) will be admitted free.

The gross gate receipts from the game shall be split as follows: 25% of gross to host school; 25% of gross to visiting school; and 50 % of gross to TSSAA. The host school will be responsible for site expenses out of their 25% and the visiting school will be responsible for traveling expenses out of their 25%. TSSAA will be responsible for game officials, chain crew, tickets, awards, and catastrophic insurance for all schools out of their 50%.

All checks for district, regional, and sectional tournaments and playoffs must be distributed within 10 business days of the completion of the tournament or game. Failure to do so will result in a $100.00 late fee to be paid to TSSAA and is to be used in the A.F. Bridges sportsmanship program to go to schools or students receiving awards. Failure to distribute funds within 20 business days will result in an additional $200 late fee (total $300.00). Failure to distribute funds within 40 business days will result in an additional $200.00 late fee (total $500.00). The school may not host any tournament or playoff until the principal or athletic director appears before the Board of Control to explain their reasons for not distributing the checks within the required time frame. The Board would then determine whether the school can host tournaments or playoffs in the future.
All games will begin at 7:00 p.m., local time, unless otherwise stated. In the event of bad weather, the game director may postpone the game. It must be played the next day (Saturday). The make-up game will also be at 7:00 p.m. unless both schools mutually agree to a different time.
A team may begin its pre-game warm-up no earlier than 5:30 p.m., local time. There shall be no practice at the game site. (Exception to this would be if a team uses the game site as its regular practice field.)
Each band performance will be limited to half of half time. This includes marching on and off the field. The band director should contact game director concerning arrangements.
Each school will be responsible for making its own housing arrangements. (The game director will assist coaches if desired.)
Dressing rooms will be assigned by the game director.
The host team in each pairing will wear the dark colored jerseys. The host team shall be designated as the home team for the scoreboard and toss of coin. (This applies regardless of the site of the game.)
The seating arrangement is left up to the game director.
Each team shall be responsible for furnishing its own game balls. The Wilson GST football is the "Official Football" for the TSSAA. Teams participating in the BlueCross Bowl will receive an Autograph Wilson Game Ball for the school's trophy case. Additionally, Wilson will give each school participating in the BlueCross Bowl two Wilson GST footballs.
Any of the participating schools that agree to use the Wilson football during the BlueCross Bowl game will receive six Wilson GST footballs rather than the two mentioned above.
Mr. Russell Henderson of Wilson will contact the Division II teams participating in the BlueCross Bowl concerning receiving their Wilson footballs. Mr. Henderson will be present at the Division I BlueCross Bowl Meeting on Monday, November 27 and the Wilson footballs for the participating Division I teams may be picked up at that time.
Only statisticians, members of the press, and cheerleaders will be permitted outside the team box along the sidelines. (Coaches will be responsible for all individuals inside his team box.)
Each team will bring its own doctor and/or trainer, and this person may sit on the sidelines with the team.
Should you desire to tape or film the game, the game director will assign a spot for your photographer, if space is available. No schools may tape or film a practice or a game involving two other teams.
Game sites are predetermined by a formula which can be found in the TSSAA Handbook. All championship games will be played at Middle Tennessee State University.

The host school is to hold the games in stadiums with adequate facilities and large enough to handle the crowds.

Adequate facilities include but are not limited to:

Separate dressing rooms for both home and visiting teams with access to restrooms and shower facilities.

Separate dressing areas for officials with access to restrooms and shower facilities.

A restraining fence around the field or a stadium configuration that allows for control of spectator access to playing area.

If the host school does feel that its facilities are not acceptable for a football play-off game, then it shall be the responsibility of the host school to secure adequate facilities. If additional facilities are secured, then the visiting school and TSSAA must be notified by noon on Saturday preceding that week's play-off game.
Schools involved in the playoff series may play their playoff game on Thursday instead of Friday. Both teams must agree to the move to Thursday night before it will be approved by the TSSAA Executive Director.
The game director shall be the principal of the host team. If the principal of the host team is not the game director, the visiting team will be notified as soon as possible.
Game officials and chain crews for the first-round, second-round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and championship games shall be named by the state office.
In Division I, first and second place plaques will be shipped directly to the regional regular season winner and runner-up. A team that finishes third or fourth place in regular season and regional competition may purchase a third or fourth place plaque. The principal of teams that finish third or fourth during regular season competition may contact A & M Products directly at (815) 875-2667.

In Division I and Division II, additional awards will be presented to all semifinal teams. The semifinal losers will receive their plaque the week following the semifinal games. The semifinal winners will receive either a state championship or state runner-up trophy.
Game directors have been instructed on the financial formula as outlined in #3. Game directors will send a check to the visiting school for their 25% of the gross receipts the week following their playoff game.