Young athletes given go-ahead for fall sports to resume in Arizona during COVID-19 pandemic

Young athletes given go-ahead for fall sports to resume in Arizona during COVID-19 pandemic

Schools continue to remain closed for in-person learning until they meet certain health benchmarks.

Fall sports for young athletes are good to go in Arizona, says the Arizona Interscholastic Association on Sept. 2. The association approved updated guidelines for return to play as early as Sept 3.

“Very challenging times now, so to have some good news today is a relief," said Hamilton High School Athletic Director Brett Palmer.

He says teams are ready to go, but of course, with new protocols to ensure COVID-19 safety, things will be a little different.

“Right now, locker rooms are closed. Student-athletes come prepared with their equipment. It’s like the Pop Warner days, you show up fully geared you leave fully geared and go home and mom and dad are back to washing the dirty smelly clothes and pads," Palmer explained.

Some sports have already started, like golf and cross country. Football teams can strap their helmets on starting Monday, Sept. 7.

“Coaches have been educated, our student-athletes have been educated. So yeah, it looks different, but it’s the sacrifice of playing the sport for the season with everything that’s going on right now," Palmer said.

Schools in Maricopa and Pima counties are expected to begin online learning soon after they meet COVID-19 safety benchmarks. They could begin as soon as Sept. 7.