Basketball, football not part of S.F. schools’ plan
San Francisco public school kids will have a high school sports season after all.
The San Francisco Unified School District released its plan for a return to athletics, starting April 12 with practice. No 11man football or indoor basketball season is in the works.
The spring season will look largely like most others. However, there will be no postseason, teams cannot play outside of the school district and no contests will be played after May 28.
The following sports will be offered: baseball, softball, girls flag football, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track and field.
Other sports normally contested in the spring, including boys golf and boys and girls swimming, are not on the SFUSD’s list.
Mission boys basketball coach and athletic director
Arnold Zelaya said he is happy for the spring athletes.
“I’m hopeful that this is a sign of a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel,” he said. “I am so happy for the spring athletes. Their season was cut short last year and I am glad they’re getting an opportunity to compete on some level.”
All high school sports in California were paused March 12, 2020, until February because of the coronavirus outbreak. Some noncontact sports such as tennis, golf and cross country were allowed in pockets of the state.
When the governor’s office and the California Department of Public Health announced new guidelines Feb. 19, counties with coronavirus cases below 14per100,000 also were eligible to resume sports with testing and other parameters.
Football season throughout the Bay Area will begin in full force Friday — 15 games were played last weekend — and many winter and spring sports opened this week throughout the region.
High schools within the SFUSD, which make up 12 of the San Francisco Section’s 17team Academic Athletic Association, have been left on the sidelines as the district and the teachers union have negotiated for a plan to return to school. Last week, the San Francisco Department of Public Health lifted a guideline that tied inperson learning to athletics.
As of Tuesday, a plan to return athletics is in place. However there is at least one hiccup, with one of the SFUSD guidelines — “There will be no games with schools outside of district” — that could throw a monkey wrench into sports that traditionally include both private and SFUSD schools.
Said Vincent Matthews, SFUSD Superintendent: “As a former studentathlete myself, I know how important sports are in the lives of so many of our students. It is a short season, but I hope it is the beginning of what will be many more opportunities to play.”