MIAA Postpones Football and All Fall Sports

(July 30, 2020 5:35 PM) Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Presidents’ Council has voted to postpone conference competition and conference tournaments for cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball. The Conference will develop schedules for these sports to take place later in the academic year. The MIAA is committed to offering engaging athletic experiences for student-athletes in these sports with extensive team activities this fall to include practice, skill development, strength & conditioning, leadership, and professional development opportunities.

Adrian College announced today they intend to play football and all fall sports and is actively seeking opponent schools available to compete.  Calvin University and Trine University are exploring options to compete in all fall sports that they normally sponsor. Olivet College will explore options for competing in cross country, golf, and tennis this fall. All MIAA member institutions will continue to follow the NCAA recommendations outlined in the Resocialization to Sport – Developing Standards for Competition and Sport document for preseason resocialization to campus, practice, and competition this fall.

Decisions regarding winter sports that begin play in the fall — men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, swimming and diving, and indoor track and field — will be made at a later date.

Dr. Michael Le Roy, the president of Calvin University and current chair of the MIAA, expressed, “The member presidents of the MIAA share a strong commitment to cooperation and competition while expressing a range of perspectives reflective of each institution’s mission and judgment about its capacities. Each day brings new challenges that none of us has faced before and our membership remains committed to continuing our work together with honesty and graciousness as we solve the many problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MIAA has a storied history and a strong commitment to conference competition and we look forward to the future when we can do so together.”

 “We recognize the deep disappointment this decision is for our student-athletes, coaches, and parents at schools that will not be competing,” states Commissioner, Penny Allen-Cook. “While this decision is very disappointing, our first priority is fostering safe and productive learning environments on our campuses.” The conference plans to develop engaging athletic experiences with the input of our coaches and Student Athlete Advisory Committee that could include conference-wide virtual competitions, fundraising, social justice initiatives, and educational programming. Commissioner Allen-Cook adds, “We understand these activities will not replace conference competition in the fall, we are hopeful we can compete in the spring when less expensive and more accurate testing, better contact tracing and a possible vaccine for COVID-19 are available.”

Member institution’s fall sports announcement links:

Adrian                    Kalamazoo
Albion                    Olivet
Alma                      Saint Mary’s
Calvin                    Trine
Hope