FHSAA Approves Rule Allowing Football Players To Play Varsity And JV Games Each Week

June 10, 2020

Beginning this season, high school football players in Florida may be allowed to play in varsity and junior varsity games during the same week.

The Florida High School Athletic Association voted Tuesday for a new policy that will waive the one game per week policy and allow players to participate in six quarters per week.

It’s not automatic; each individual school must apply by the Monday of week three of the regular season in order to use the new six-quarter rule. Before approval, the FHSAA football administrator will consider program history along with current and past roster size of the school.

Many smaller schools across the state fail to consistently play junior varsity games for fear of not having enough back up players for their varsity games. That, according to the FHSAA, limits participation and development for players that are not ready to play at the varsity level.

“These lost opportunities to play make it harder to develop younger players and makes it harder to keep 9th and 10th graders engaged in the sport,” FHSAA said.

Pictured: Baker at Northview, September 2019. NorthEscambia.com photos.

Comments

2 Responses to “FHSAA Approves Rule Allowing Football Players To Play Varsity And JV Games Each Week”

  1. Keegun Johnston on June 11th, 2020 12:46 pm

    @James, you gotta realize most the kids that will play for JV and Varsity will see little to no playing time. Even small schools like Northview. During my time there very few kids brought up from JV at the end of their season would even step on the field. Coaches want this just for the sole purpose of injury backups, and that is why small 1A to maybe around 3-4A need this rule change.

  2. James on June 10th, 2020 7:36 am

    The FHSAA failed if they didn’t specifically address a stipulation that the team roster may not exceed a certain number of players. Also, what constitutes a quarter? One play is considered a quarter or playing time that equates to a full quarter? The latter would mean a player could essentially play 2 full games each week, which certainly isn’t healthy from a recovery and rest standpoint.