The TSSAA Board of Control met on Monday, August 16 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro.
Among the many items covered, the Board made final decisions on policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, TSSAA worked diligently to put the measures in place that addressed health and safety so that student-athletes in Tennessee would have the opportunity to participate in high school athletics.
The Board voted to continue handling game cancellations due to COVID-19 in that same manner as last year. If a school has to postpone a game due to COVID-19, the two schools have the option to make up the contest at a later date. If this cannot be worked out, the opposing team will receive a win for seeding purposes. The team that has to postpone due to COVID-19 cases does not receive a loss. In football, if the game is not made up and the team that cannot play due to COVID-19 is the visiting team, they would remain the visiting team the following year.
Last school year, the Board mandated that district and region postseason basketball games were to be hosted at satellite sites by the higher seeded team. The Board tabled the discussion to allow schools to continue that way or play at a central site until the November meeting.
The Board voted that the price for Sectional Tickets for all sports and football playoffs will be $8 if purchased as a digital ticket through GoFan, and $10 if purchased at the gate with cash.
In other business, the Board reviewed and approved the financial reports for the sports of baseball, softball, soccer, track & field, and tennis and reviewed the audited financial statements from 2020-21. The pandemic affected everyone financially across the state and nation last year, and TSSAA was certainly not immune to that. With cost-saving measures, the association was able to restrict its financial losses to just shy of breaking even over the last two fiscal years. The Board approved both the audit and the proposed budget for the 2021-22 school year.
Several schools were welcomed as new members as Liberty Creek High School in Gallatin, Chattanooga Preparatory School, Memphis School of Excellence Cordova High School, and Eagleton College & Career Academy were all approved for membership in TSSAA.
The full Board minutes can be viewed below.
