Mallard: New tweaks mean soccer won’t look like itself
Schools have to make major adjustments in order to get on field
The return of high school sports is nearly upon us.
After a spring that saw no baseball, no softball, no track or lacrosse, athletes will return to fields and courts in the coming weeks as school gets underway and some semblance of normal returns.
There will be no football, but beyond that, there will be golf. There will be cross country. Girls volleyball will return to courts.
And something that vaguely looks like soccer... but not really.
Thursday saw the MIAA unveil its modifications for what the rest of the world calls football, and aside from using a ball familiar to kids who have grown up playing the sport, it’s an entirely new ballgame.
Before my rant on these rules begins, I’m fully aware that these are unprecedented times amid the COVID-19 pandemic and just getting on a field to play is something of a luxury at this point. In the grand scheme of things, high school sports likely aren’t the most important thing in the world.
But I digress.
The sport players will be taking part in isn’t soccer. There will be no slide tackles, no intentional heading of the ball, no throw-ins. No shoulder-toshoulder contact. Defensive walls will be eliminated, as players will be required to be six feet apart on restarts.
Like most other places in life these days, masks will be required on players, coaches and officials.
Defenders, start holding your breath now that an overzealous attacker will lose control of the ball. Goalkeepers, commence training in batting cages, modified to send soccer ball after soccer ball toward the net. Stopping offenses will rest solely on the shoulders of netminders and unforced errors since it will be nearly impossible to cause a miscue.
Again, just getting out and playing is something of a treat. But soccer is a physical sport. Obviously not to the extent of football, but contact is made and comes with the nature of the game.
I grew up playing the game, as did the vast majority of players who will take the field this fall. Good luck breaking the habits learned over a lifetime of playing and implementing new rules.
Would postponing the sport until the Spring II or wedge season make more sense? Surely, if football will be approved then, a little bumping on the soccer pitch will be reasonable. The Northeastern Conference – home to the likes of Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester and Masconomet – voted Tuesday to move all fall sports to the period of Feb. 22 to April 25, the MIAA’s wedge season.
There’s no simple answer and, really, these are minor complaints in a year that’s been filled with bigger tragedies than modifying high school soccer rules. I don’t know that I could come up with a better plan than what the MIAA and its advisors did.
What I do know is that what will be played this fall isn’t really soccer.
Afterthoughts
Speaking of the aforementioned Northeastern Conference, moving all fall sports to the end of winter and the beginning of spring should free up plenty of tee times for its members golf teams. With the prospect of snow-covered fairways a strong possibility, dust off some neon yellow balls and start practicing your swing with a parka on. … How strange is it going to be to sit at home on Thanksgiving without football games going on locally? Sure, Turkey Day games have lost a bit of luster in recent years as they’ve become exhibition contests in the middle of the MIAA football playoffs, but some have deep traditions and draw interest from their communities. With no fall playoffs this year and the season running through Nov. 20, we can’t even look forward to a rivalry cross country meet. … This has been full of snarky comments, but before closing, good luck to all the athletes attempting to go out and play their respective sports in the coming weeks. It’ll surely be a different experience than anyone else has faced in high school athletics and we’re all hoping things work out.