Vote to come Tuesday to restructure playoffs to resemble football format
By Michael Adams
madams@austinsportsjournal.com
The UIL on Tuesday will vote on several proposals, including one that could change the playoff format for most team sports.
The UIL Legislative Council will convene at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock to hear a proposal to split basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball playoffs into two divisions, much like the football format.
If passed, the proposal would go into effect as soon as the 2024-25 athletic season.
Under the proposal, the top four teams from each district would make the playoffs. Like with Class 6A football, the two schools with the largest enrollment would be placed in a Division I bracket and the other two would be in the Division II bracket. This would create two state championships for each classification.
For basketball and soccer, the new playoff format would reduce the number of games and eliminate the regional quarterfinal round. For volleyball, baseball and softball, the area round would be eliminated.
Also, the format for the state tournament could change to only include the state championship games and not the state semifinals, which would be played at a neutral site.
For baseball and softball, state semifinals could change from a one-game playoff to a best-of-three series, much like the other rounds.
If the state semifinals stayed as part of the state tournament, the number of teams participating would increase to 48 from 24 and the number of games would increase to 36 from 18 for basketball and soccer, and 33 from 18 for softball, baseball and volleyball.
The Class 1A playoff format would not change under this proposal.
Other items on the agenda include:
- A proposal to place mileage limitations on football first round playoff games
- A proposal to allow part time employees to be a head coach of a team sport
- A proposal to require facilities of a certain size for football playoff games
- A proposal for split division conferences in all sports
- A proposal to allow college students to volunteer coach
- A proposal to change the rule regarding track and field uniform regulations for males
- A proposal to change the run rule in softball
- A proposal to mandate statistics reporting through universal application
- A proposal to add a mercy rule for soccer
- A proposal to alter junior high cross country meet times
- A proposal to add ice hockey as a sanctioned activity
- A proposal to add disc golf as a sanctioned activity
- A proposal to add boys volleyball as a sanctioned activity
- A proposal to add archery as a sanctioned activity
- A proposal to add lacrosse as a sanctioned activity
- A proposal to add 3A and below soccer as a competition
