Start Date For Calif. High School Fall Sports Delayed To January

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Due to the resurgence of coronavirus cases, the California agency which oversees high school athletics announced Monday that the start date for fall sports will be pushed back, likely to January of 2021.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reported that the start date for fall sports will be moved to December or January, under a modified season.

CIF provided a calendar which listed the deadline for each sport to complete its season. For example, football would have to crown its state champions by April 17, 2021, while volleyball would have to do so by March 20, 2021.

Spring sports such as soccer and basketball could also see their seasons pushed back in order to better accommodate the fall sports, with several of them likely starting in March and ending in late June.

"We are continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor's Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed by our member schools/school districts with student health and safety at the forefront," CIF said in a statement.

CIF's move was expected after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that public and private schools in 32 California counties – including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura – will start the fell semester with distance learning only due to the surge in coronavirus cases.

Those 32 counties are on the state's watchlist due to the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Newsom says counties must be off the state's monitoring list for 14 consecutive days before public and private schools can physically reopen.