NJCAA announces all fall sports will be moved to spring

It was a move that was pretty much expected from the National Junior College Athletic Association on Monday, but exactly what it means for Mississippi schools remains unclear.

The NJCAA announced on Monday afternoon that football, men’s and women’s soccer along with volleyball will be played in the spring of 2021. Basketball will begin in January, while spring sports has not changed.

That will create quite the logjam of sporting activity at East Mississippi Community College and other junior colleges if that ruling holds as the athletic departments adjust to the circumstances created by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes,” NJCAA President and CEO Christopher J. Parker said in a statement. “Through a unified effort from our presidential advisory council, the board of regents and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps ur student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place.

“As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful.”

EMCC Athletic Director Sharon Thompson told The Starkville Daily News last week that the athletic directors of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges voted unanimously to have a fall season.

In a statement released by the MACC on Monday, the Region 23 representative to the NJCAA Board of Regents, upon the recommendation of the MACC presidents voted to abstain from the final vote regarding moving most sports to the spring.

“While we are very concerned about the health and safety of our student-athletes, personnel, and fans, we believe they are best served by waiting for other conferences and organizations to make a final decision regarding fall sports,” the statement said.

That means the MACC still seems to be in a wait and see mode about junior college athletics this fall in Mississippi.

EMCC is scheduled to kick off the football season at East Central Community College on September 10.