Football Playoff Game Director and Participating Team Instructions

Dates / Times / Sites - The football playoffs begin on November 8, 2024. All games will begin at 7:00 p.m., local time, unless otherwise stated. (NOTE: Schools involved in the play-off series may play their play-off game on Thursday instead of Friday. Both teams must agree to move the game to Thursday night before it will be approved by the TSSAA Executive Director.) 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. Game sites are predetermined by a formula which can be found in the TSSAA Football Regulations. All championship games will be played at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga. Brackets will be posted and updated on the TSSAAsports.com.

Uniforms - The host team in each pairing will wear dark colored jerseys. The host team shall be designated as the home team for the scoreboard and toss of the coin. (This applies regardless of the site of the game.)

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

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

3. A restraining fence around the field or a stadium configuration that allows for control of spectator access to the playing area. The football playing rules require a restraining line around the field. Only statisticians, members of the press, and cheerleaders will be permitted outside the team box along the sidelines. These designated people are to remain behind the restraining line. (Coaches will be responsible for all individuals inside their team box.)

4. If the controls for the Electronic Clock Operator are not on the field, the host school must provide security after the game for the ECO to get back to the crew on the field at the end of the game.
   
   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 Monday preceding that week's play-off game.

Parking - The game director is responsible for arranging parking places for the participating teams, band buses, and game officials.

1. All playoff tickets are general admission. Tickets are $8 if purchased in advance on GoFan and $10 if purchased at the gate with cash. Everyone school-age and older must purchase a ticket.

   1. TSSAA will provide GoFan with a list of these games to set up playoff tickets for each school (schools do not need to setup their own playoff games). Schools that are hosting will be required to login to GoFan HQ if they would like to manage their event and access the direct ticket link. All games and ticket links will be accessible on GoFan.co by searching your school’s name and will also be linked on the brackets at tssaasports.com. These links for playoff games will be available by Sunday at 1pm CT. Ticket links will no longer be emailed to you – you must access your ticket link through GoFan HQ or via GoFan.co. If your school needs help with GoFan, please contact GoFan Support at support@gofan.co.

   2. The host school will receive all funds from the digital ticket sales. GoFan will email a reconciliation statement to the host school a few days after the game. Funds from GoFan will be disbursed in one of two ways:

      1. If your school is not a partner of GoFan and you do nothing to become one, a check for 100% of the digital ticket sales will be mailed to the host school 4-5 days after the game using the mailing address on file with TSSAA.

      2. If your school is already a GoFan partner or signs up prior to game day, the school will have the option to receive the ticket revenue via check or ACH direct deposits. Partner schools also gain access to real-time reports so they can monitor sales during the week.

      3. If you would like to get your school setup as a GoFan partner, please contact Matt Abramson at Matt.Abramson@playonsports.com.

   3. GoFan tickets will be sold as "mobile only", meaning that the tickets cannot be printed out and must be presented on the screen of the smartphone (Instructions for buying and redeeming digital tickets can be found here.)

   4. Once the GoFan report has been received by the host school, the host will then be able to submit the customary financial report through the TSSAA Portal, listing the number of physical tickets sold and the number of digital tickets sold on separate lines.

2. TSSAA ID Cards are allowed to be accepted as passes to admit one person only. The card holder MUST be in possession of the physical card. Photos of ID cards cannot be accepted for admission.

3. The Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association (TACA) card will provide complimentary admittance for each playoff round. The TACA card admits ONLY ONE PERSON PER CARD and should be presented with an ID matching the name on the card.

4. Cheerleaders (limit of 16) in uniform will be admitted free.

5. Each participating school is allowed 20 complimentary admittances via a pass list to their game. The game director is instructed to contact the principal of the visiting school to obtain a pass list with 20 names on it to accommodate their 20 people. One of these tickets is for use by the cheerleading coach/sponsor.

6. Players will be admitted upon the identification of the coach.

7. The host school shall supply gate workers to validate tickets. Gates must be manned until the game is over.

Game Officials - Game officials for each round of the playoffs will be approved by the state office. By Tuesday afternoon of each week the host school will find the name and contact information in the TSSAA Portal for the referee working the contest. Click on Forms, Click on New Forms, Under Postseason Tournament Financial Reports click on Football. Game officials will be paid by TSSAA through ArbiterPay. For each round, the referee will contact the host school and confirm the assignment. Directions to the site, location of the official's dressing area, contact person and cell phone numbers should be shared.

Play Clock Operators - If the host school has a visible play clock, the individual running the play clock must be a certified TSSAA football official assigned by the host school's local association and the fee shall come out of the host school's share of the gross receipts. The fee paid to PCOs cannot be reported as an expense on the postgame financial report.

Chain Crews - Chain crews will be furnished by the host school in Rounds 1 and 2. If the school chooses to pay the chain crew, the fee shall come out of the host school's share of the gross receipts. Payments made for local chain crews cannot be reported as an expense on the postgame financial report. Chain crews will be furnished by TSSAA in Rounds 3 and 4 and paid directly by TSSAA through ArbiterPay.

Dressing Rooms - The game director is responsible for assigning dressing rooms for teams and game officials.

Seating - The game director is responsible for designating seating sections for each school. Ushers will not be needed since all tickets are general admission.

National Anthem - The game director is responsible for making arrangements for the National Anthem to be played before the game and must be completed at least 5 minutes prior to kickoff.

1. Welcome to tonight's ________ round of the TSSAA Football Playoff series contest between _______________________ and _______________________. As member schools of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, they remind you that sportsmanship and the objectives of educational athletics are what set this event apart from other levels of competition. Your cooperation and support of the values promoted by these two schools is appreciated.

2. We are pleased to welcome you this evening to (Name of School). Good sportsmanship is one of the primary purposes of educational athletics. Our student athletes recognize that judgement calls are made in good faith and that they must abide by the decisions of the officials. Spectators can support their high school interscholastic program by refraining from derogatory or demeaning remarks or cheers. We hope you will enjoy the game and support your athletes in a positive and sportsmanlike manner.

Game Administrators Meeting - The game administrators meeting shall be called by the Game Director for every football playoff series game. The meeting shall include the game administrators, both head coaches, the referee, and a representative of the security team. Use this as a time to remind all of their role and responsibilities for the contest. The following PA Announcement shall be made during the Game Administrators Meeting:
We call to your attention the game administrators meeting that is being held on the field. This meeting includes the game administrator of the host school, the two head coaches, the referee and a representative of the security team. Each is reviewing their responsibilities in this game. We ask that each spectator conduct themselves in a positive sportsmanlike manner. We encourage you to cheer for your team and thank you for your cooperation. Enjoy this evening and the game.

Team Warm-Ups - A team may begin its pregame 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.).

Concessions - The game director is responsible for making arrangements for concessions. Profits from the concessions will go to the host school or to those appointed by the game director to handle concessions.

Medical Staff / Ambulance - If possible, the game director is responsible for making sure an ambulance is available for all emergencies. Each team is responsible for providing its own medical coverage, and they may sit on the sidelines with the team.

Security - The host school is responsible for arranging for an adequate number of law enforcement officers and guards. At least one law enforcement officer or guard shall be assigned to escort the officials on and off the field.

Game Balls - Each team shall be responsible for furnishing its own game balls. The Wilson NCAA 1003 GST football is the "Official Football" for the TSSAA, but it is not required to be used in the football playoffs.

Financial Arrangements / Reporting - The game director is required to complete and submit the financial report to TSSAA through the TSSAA Portal. The formula for distribution of gross gate receipts shall be 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%. Payment for the officials will be taken from the 50% of the gross gate receipts due to TSSAA and half of TSSAA's allotment is also earmarked for football catastrophic insurance premium payments.

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.

1. Any school that is a member of the NFHS Network School Broadcast Program (“SBP School”) has the right to broadcast both a live and on-demand Internet video broadcast of any TSSAA state playoff event that the NFHS Network has not selected for its own broadcast. No fee shall be applied to broadcast in these situations.
   
   If a TSSAA state playoff event is selected for broadcast by a SBP School or the NFHS Network, no other entity will be allowed to broadcast the event via the Internet or television. If both participating schools are SBP Schools, and both select to broadcast the event, then permission may be granted to both schools at the discretion of the TSSAA or the NFHS Network.
   
   

2. If the game is not being streamed by the NFHS Network or a school that is part of the NFHS Network, any media entity, or school wishing to videostream or tape delay broadcast any football playoff game must submit their request to the TSSAA in writing. The request must be submitted at least three days prior to the event in question. This includes state championship events.

   1. If such permission is granted for a live videostream for the football playoffs, the following fees will be paid to the game director and shall be included as part of the gate receipts: $400 (DI & DII First Round); $500 (DI Second Round); $600 (DI & DII Quarterfinals); $700 (DI & DII Semifinals).

   2. If such permission is granted for a 24-hour tape delay telecast for the football playoffs, a fee of $250 will be paid to the game director and shall be included as part of the gate receipts.

3. Permission to broadcast must be secured from the game director. In case more radio stations request permission to broadcast than can be accommodated, the two towns involved in the playoff game shall be given first consideration. Stations will then be given permission to broadcast in the order requests were received.

4. Press passes must be secured through the game director.

   1. The daily newspapers covering the playoff game will be allowed passes for working press and photographers.

   2. Only the weekly newspapers from the areas representing the towns of the participating teams will be allowed press passes. This number is limited to two.

5. Should a team desire to tape or film the game, the game director will assign a spot for the team's photographer, if space is available. No schools may tape or film a practice or game involving two other teams.

Football Playoff Program - Programs for the football playoffs are not supplied by TSSAA. All schools may produce a playoff program by using the provided template. The programs can then be printed either at school or a copy center (Kinko's, Office Max, Staples, etc.). It will be the responsibility of the host school to secure program sellers. Programs should be sold for no more than $5.00 and the host school will retain all of the money. No other programs may be produced or sold at the playoff games.

Awards - In Division I, first and second place plaques will be shipped directly to the region regular season winner and runner-up. 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.

BlueCross Bowl Digital Program - The deadline to submit your team's information for the BlueCross Bowl digital program, should your team qualify, is NOVEMBER 25, 2024. Download instructions.