On Thursday the NJSIAA Sports Advisory Task Force released its plan for the 2021 indoor sports season in amidst surging COVID-19 cases in New Jersey and further restrictions placed by the Governor for crowds at sporting events.
The new layout has pushed back the start of the winter track and field season to February 16th and there will be no NJSIAA Championship events this coming season for track and field. Spring sports schedules will be released before December 11th according to this release; the season will likely extend through June.
Reference Documents
NJSIAA Return To Place Season 2 & 3 Update (PDF)
Notes For Track And Field
General Notes
- Moved to Season 2A.
- Indoor T&F practice beings February 1st
- Indoor T&F season begins February 16th and runs through March 27th.
- "By February, it is possible that indoor facility capacities will increase, and, as an alternative, better weather may allow for outdoor polar bear meets."
- There will be no NJSIAA sponsored post-season events for track and field, leagues and conferences may host competitions at their own discretion.
Season Limitations
- Competition will be limited to three events per week with a total of 15 events during the season including league or conference tournaments.
Mult-Team/Invitational Events
- Currently, all competition will be limited to two teams only, but this is subject to change. NJSIAA will continue to consult with the NJ DOH to determine if multi-team or invitational events will be permissible; however, we expect decisions on expanding the scope of participants and/or teams will not be made until closer to the start of the season.
Scrimmages
- Schools will have the opportunity to participate in one pre-season scrimmage, preferably with a neighboring school. When possible, schools are encouraged to participate in intra-squad scrimmages and utilize officials to provide additional preseason preparation.
Out of State Competition
- On November 10, 2020, Governor Murphy issued Executive Order No. 194 which prohibits member schools from hosting interstate competition in all indoor sports. Therefore, no member school may host an out-of-state opponent or host an event out of state. Moreover, NJSIAA is prohibiting member schools from traveling out of state to compete.
Transfers
- Any student-athlete that is subject to a transfer sit-period will be eligible for participation on Monday, March 1, 2021. As a reminder, those student-athletes that transferred between March 16, 2020 and November 1, 2020 are not subject to the transfer sit-period. If a student-athlete transfers after November 1, 2020, the student-athlete shall be ineligible to participate for a period of 30 calendar days, or one half of the maximum number of games being played, whichever is less.
The updated format follows the November 16th announcement by Governor Murphy restricting the amount of people at both indoor and outdoor sporting events due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in New Jersey.
"Under Executive Order 196, indoor practices and competitions are limited to 10 persons, however, if the number of individuals who are necessary for the practice or competition, such as players, coaches, and referees, is greater than 10 persons, the practice or competition may proceed. If this exception applies, the number of individuals still may not exceed 25 percent of the capacity of the room in which it takes place, or 150 persons, whichever is less. Practically speaking, this means that spectators are prohibited."
Video Address By NJSIAA COO Colleen Maguire
NJSIAA Press Release
