FHSAA board of directors vote for one-year reclassification cycle in 2021-22.

The Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors voted unanimously to use enrollment numbers from October 2020 to reclassify schools for the upcoming 2021-22 calendar year. 

The vote was conducted via Zoom during a board of directors meeting to address the issue. Reclassification will likely go back to a two-year cycle starting with the 2022-23 calendar year. 

The one-year period this coming school year will be for all sports, not just football. Classifications likely will be released later this month.   

Football,though, was the biggest topic during Monday’s meeting because contracts with schools usually last for two years because of home-and-away dates. The playoff system, which was overhauled in 2017, plays a key role, too.  

Schools in Classes 5A-8A still have districts to determine a champion (the other playoff spots are at-large bids based on a points-system). So knowing the classifications — and districts — as quickly as possible is critical in putting together a schedule. Area schools in 4A-2A are in regions rather than districts and go by a points-based system to determine all playoff spots. 

Part of the reason for going to a one-year cycle for this calendar was to deal with the uncertainty of enrollment numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

So will the classifications change? 

That depends on the enrollment numbers from Oct. 2020.