Butte sports set to return in the spring
Football to begin Feb. 13
BUTTE VALLEY » For the first time, there will be no fall sports taking place on the Butte College campus.
The California Community College Athletic Association announced late Thursday that all community college sports will be moved to the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision was originally scheduled to be announced July 17 but came earlier since COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the state. The approved plan, which was dubbed the contingency plan, was one of three scenarios the
CCCAA Board of Directors was considering.
“The return to athletics in January will only occur if it is safe to do so, a decision that will be guided primarily by state and local health guidelines,” the CCCAA said in a press release.
Originally, the plan was to have cross-country and golf, two noncontact sports, take place in the fall, but the CCCAA Board of Directors voted to move those two sports to the spring.
Now the spring season will be divided into early and late phases. For Butte College athletics, early spring will feature basketball, cross-country, football, women’s golf, soccer and volleyball. The starting date for the season will be Feb. 5 with football beginning Feb. 13. Seasons will end April 17. Practice
will be able to start Jan. 18.
Late spring will have baseball, men’s golf, softball and track and field.
Seasons will be reduced by 30 percent of the maximum number of contests. Postseason plans will be announced later in the year and the CCCAA already decided to forgo state championships.
“I don’t know if anybody was super shocked by the decision,” said Butte football coach Rob Snelling. “It’s really just unprecedented times for everyone. We’re still in the works to have a season in the spring and take care of our athletes as best we can.”
Snelling held a team meeting via Zoom on Friday morning to deliver the news about the football season being moved to the spring.
“It’s still tough for those guys getting ready for their sophomore year,” Snelling said.
The football season will be seven games with one scrimmage allowed. The basketball season will be 20 games and volleyball will last 17 games.
The late spring sports will begin on April 10 and run through June 23. The baseball and softball schedules will each last 28 games.
Contact reporter Sharon Martin at 530-896-7778.