Friday Night Futbol

[4thgoal]

The following is from http://www.ohsaa.org/members/Memos/2015 ... friday.pdf

The purpose of this email is to inform all member school Athletic Directors of a slight change in the High School soccer season in the fall of 2015 as well as a state-wide initiative to highlight soccer in the state of Ohio. Next fall, high school football does not begin until the week of August 24 (though nearly every game in Ohio is played on Friday – August 28). High school soccer games have been permitted to begin on Saturday, August 22. Given this, I recently proposed a change in the start date of soccer; requesting it be permitted to start on Friday, August 21.
The purpose of this request to our Board of Directors was to launch a state-wide initiative for “Friday Night Futbol”. My goals are 2-fold:

1. Provide an opportunity for high school soccer teams to showcase their teams in front of a potentially large student crowd ‘under the lights’ on the first Friday of the season. Most schools have started classes at this point and students are looking for some activity to attend on Friday night.
2. Provide an opportunity for high school bands to be part of this night. Many bands are concluding their respective ‘Band Camps’ and this could be an opportunity to showcase themselves. As a result, anyone playing on this night may extend their halftime to 15:00 in length

The OHSAA’s Board of Directors approved this request, thus this correspondence as an encouragement for schools to play on that “First Friday” of the soccer season. I realize that not all facilities have lights so this may not work for everyone. I want to also make clear this is no attempt to prevent schools that host “Jamboree” football games from hosting those events. They are revenue sources for schools and I do not want to get in the way of that.

Additionally, please know there is nothing in this initiative that is a cost to any school – there is no fee to participate (as there are in football Jamborees and basketball “Foundation Games”), there are no ‘applications’, etc., just a plain and simple initiative to meet the goals listed above. I have media releases that will go out across the state as well. With no football games being played that evening, I anticipate media giving excellent coverage to the MANY events that I anticipate being played that evening.

Thank you and please let one of us know if you have questions!

[4thgoal]

Are any southern Ohio teams going to be playing on Friday night (8/21) and take advantage of the early start?

[cghs82]

Are any southern Ohio teams going to be playing on Friday night (8/21) and take advantage of the early start?

Only games I seen were Athens @ Lancaster (Girls), Pickerington Central @ Zane Trace (Girls), and Ripley @ Fayetteville-Perry (Boys).

[Buckeye24]

New Boston and West will also open the season next Friday.

[Falcon01]

Fairfield union boys are playing Johnstown. Wanted to do it boys and girls back to back but Johnstown didn't want to do it.

[Falcon01]

Fu beat Johnstown 5-0.