Southland Conference Postpones Fall Sports, SFA Issues Statement
The Southland Conference, which includes SFA, has joined the growing list of other conferences that have decided to postpone the upcoming Fall sports season. According to the Southland Conference website, the decision includes the immediate postponement of all league competition for football, women's soccer, volleyball and cross country. Moving these sports to the Spring remains a possibility that the league will continue to monitor and explore.
Southland Conference schools do have the green light to pursue limited competition in the fall against other institutions that are looking to compete. SFA is looking into this possibility while also respecting plans to resume conference competition in the spring season.
In a release on the SFA sports website, Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey stated, "Words cannot express my disappointment, but that pales in comparison to what our student-athletes are feeling right now. As with everything with COVID-19, no two days are alike. As such, we will continue to evaluate and consult with our medical team as the situation emerges, and we hope it may be possible for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to compete in some capacity. I can assure everyone that the holistic student-athlete well-being is at the center of our decision making. I am extremely proud of our student-athletes and the leadership, passion and discipline they have displayed throughout this entire pandemic. We, as a department, are more resolved than ever to do everything we can possibly do to be provide them with a great experience and the opportunity to achieve every dream that they have, on and off of their respective competition surfaces."
Due to the current climate around the nation surrounding fall competition, the NCAA Division I council recommended on Wednesday that the NCAA Division I board of governors grant student-athletes impacted by the coronavirus pandemic an extension of their five-year eligibility and an additional season of competition if they compete in 50% of less of the maximum number of competitions allowed in each sport under NCAA rules.
"Following the Southland's decision to postpone fall conference competition and explore a possible spring semester, SFA is committed to moving forward with a reduced scheduled for our fall sports", added Ivey. "We are working with several institutions, from multiple conferences to put together schedules for our student-athletes to compete, in a safe and healthy environment."
We will have more SFA athletics updates on KICKS 105 and our digital platforms as they are made available.
As always...Axe 'em, Jacks!